Go Ask the Wind, or Better Yet, Go Ask Herr Forehead
by The Lesbian Gavinners
Summary: Klavier Gavin is no stranger to waking up with strangers, but waking up with Apollo Justice after a night of drunken revelry is a different matter altogether. Eager to protect him from the media, the two begin a fake relationship, all while trying to hide some not-so-fake feelings. M/M, high T for cursing and romance stuff.
1. Chapter 1

**It's the usual spiel. M/M, don't like don't read, I don't own anything, etc. etc. This thing's going to be a pretty high T like I said in the description, for cursing and romance stuff. The rating may change, but most likely not. Hope you enjoy!**

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Klavier Gavin was no stranger to waking up with strangers.

He knew the after effects, conditions that only seemed familiar to him. Waking up with a dull, throbbing pain in his skull, reminiscent of whatever alcohol he had downed the night before. Waking up blinking in defense against whatever light was streaming through whatever unfamiliar window, shielding his eyes with such a feeble, trembling hand it was nearly in vain. Looking over at the nearly familiar face sleeping beside him, and falling back on the pillows groaning. The list went on, and Klavier Gavin was certainly no stranger to waking up with strangers.

He hated himself for it.

It was nearly always the same situation, like an arithmetic problem to be manipulated to fit the circumstance. Intoxication plus fame equals one-night stand. Intoxication times holiday equals one-night stand. Fame plus good looks equals one-night stand. Wit times good looks equals one-night stand.

Klavier knew the formula like it was the back of his hand, brushing past the fringe of blonde that fell into his eyes when he leaned forwards to flirt. He knew it, he lived it, he breathed it, and he always ended up on top- albeit not always literally.

Klavier Gavin hated himself for ending up on top. He hated himself for knowing and using the formula. He hated himself for the endless stream of one-night stands, gained only through his luck at coincidence.

Klavier Gavin hated how he was certain nothing could ever surprise him, masterful veteran of the system that he was.

He knew the drill. Wake up, apologize as the need be, stay for breakfast when necessary, be on his way. Try to forget, when he never could.

Today when he woke up, it was all different. The system, the formula, all of it, it seemed, had exceptions.

Exceptions forced him to clench his teeth together, cursing as quietly as he could. He ignored his headache, ignored his hangover, zeroed in on his thumping, pained heart. He despised the new, foreign situation, one he was certain he'd never understand.

In short, Klavier Gavin cursed whatever circumstance had lead to Apollo waking up in the same bed as him.

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 **Sorry for the sucky first chapter, but Klapollo definitely needs some more love. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm throwing the second chapter up here to hopefully make up for the first. Enjoy!**

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Klavier fell back on the pillows, clenching his eyes shut as though it might all go away. How he wished he'd be in his own bed the next time he opened his eyes, putting his all into the fraction of a chance he still had with Apollo and with no hangover to boot.

Klavier cracked open his eyes again, hissing at the burning light that found its way through. No such luck.

It took a moment for Klavier to begin wondering what he was doing, exactly. He was _Klavier Gavin,_ a man who was nothing if not resourceful.

Klavier sat up, forcing back the inevitable groan and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He'd survived accusing his best friend and brother of murder, he could survive sleeping with Apollo.

Sleeping with Apollo…

Memories began to flood back, much against Klavier's will and better judgement.

 _Klavier leaned back, somehow keeping a firm grip on Apollo's tie through the alcohol induced fog. Apollo yelped at the sudden pressure on his neck as Klavier fell backwards, forcing him to lean over the prosecutor on the bed._

 _Klavier threw his head back on the duvet, panting through clenched teeth. "Fuck me."_

 _Apollo blinked, shaking his head as though to clear it. "Huh?"_

 _Klavier lifted his head to face Apollo, eyes glazed. "Fuck me, Apollo."_

 _He was a little weary at first, thinking that Apollo's hesitation meant he wouldn't do it, but he was dead wrong._

 _A split second and Apollo was everywhere, pressing on top of him and trying to fit every part of his body to Klavier's. His lips and teeth were on Klavier's ear and jaw, hands fumbling with Klavier's silky shirt and legs pressing between Klavier's. Klavier moaned and whimpered, trying to turn his chin to catch Apollo's lips, but Apollo was quick to kiss his way down, landing on Klavier's neck._

 _"Mmmph." Klavier dug the top of his head into the bed, fisting his hands in the sheets. "Gott, Apollo, give me a turn."_

 _Apollo shook his head, smirking into Klavier's collarbone, but was pushed back as Klavier sat up. The blonde grinned into Apollo's mouth, shrugging his shirt off before starting to work on Apollo's._

 _Apollo's legs had fallen around Klavier's, seated in the prosecutor's lap as the man undid each of Apollo's buttons, deft and quick. Apollo's shirt drifted to the floor with their already discarded shoes and socks, and the two of them barely noticed._

After that, it all became blurry. Whether from alcohol or excitement, Klavier couldn't tell, but he didn't have much memory to follow. Snippets danced around in his mind, non-sequitur bits of warm skin, throaty whispers, _Apollo._

 _Gott._ Klavier brought his fist to his eyes, rubbing them. He so wished this could have happened any other way, _any_ way that gave Apollo a chance not to hate him. All Klavier had wanted to do was show Apollo he was _more_ to Klavier, more than just an opportunity to boost his rockstar-sized ego, more than just a partner in bed. It seemed all of his hopes had been effectively dashed in the course of an evening.

Klavier sighed and shook his head. The only decent thing to do now was to get dressed, and say sorry to Apollo. He only had to manage that, somehow, before he could go to work and bury himself in some case.

Funny, how gruesome murder seemed preferable to what he was doing now.

It was a matter of seconds to shrug his clothes back on, and only slightly longer to locate the pieces, haphazardly tossed throughout the room. It was far too quick for Klavier's liking, either way, and he didn't know if he was ready to crawl back over the crumpled sheets and nudge Apollo awake.

Klavier shook Apollo's shoulder lightly, trying not to think about how soft and warm it felt to his hand. "Apollo? Apollo, guten morgen."

Apollo rolled over into Klavier's touch and yawned, eyes opening and blinking heavily up at Klavier. The sight of the prosecutor seemed to break him out of his sleepy state, as he yelped impossibly loud.

Klavier winced. "Ach, quiet. We don't want to wake the whole neighborhood up."

"I- s-sorry, I just-" Apollo stumbled over his words, clutching at fistfuls of brown hair and pressing his fists to his face. "so we really-?"

Klavier could only nod, somehow hoping Apollo would get the message through his shut eyes. He must've, because Apollo began to groan.

"I'm so, so _sorry-_ "

"Nein, nein," Klavier was quick to interrupt. "It's my fault, I-"

"Alright," Apollo cut in, sighing. "Let's just agree that we are two, consenting adults who were under the influence of alcohol, and that no one is to blame."

Klavier's mouth felt dry. "Ja. That sounds very good."

Apollo smiled. "So, uh…" His arm reached to rub at the back of his neck, as his smile became more uncertain. "You know what, I'm new to this. What do _you_ usually say in a situation like this?"

Klavier looked down at his phone. "Well, considering that it's a Monday, usually something along the lines of 'Sorry, I have to go to work'-"

" _Shit!"_ Apollo yelled, jumping up at speeds that made Klavier jump as well. "Work!"

Klavier chuckled. "Ja, Herr Forehead, work."

"Shit shit shit, get _out,_ I need to get _dressed_ ," Apollo shot off quickly, shoving Klavier out of the room as he grabbed at random articles of clothing, scattered on the floor.

Klavier chuckled lightly, leaning against the closed door. "Are your mornings usually so hectic?"

"Shut _up,"_ Was the spirited reply, and Klavier grinned into the door. It swung open not two seconds later, knocking Klavier off balance as Apollo burst into the other room.

"I'm never going to make it there on time, my bike can't go that fast," He was still babbling to himself, somewhat oblivious to Klavier's presence.

"If I may," Klavier picked himself up off of the floor, brushing a fringe of blonde hair out of his eyes. "I'd like to offer a solution."

Apollo whipped around. "What?"

Klavier grinned, and there was a spark in his eye that Apollo didn't like. "I do own a motorcycle, Herr Forehead…"

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 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey look, it's chapter three! Hope you guys like it!**

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"No," Apollo said, repeating the word for what felt like the billionth time. "No. I am _not_ taking your motorcycle."

"A little late for that, ja?" Klavier asked, craning his neck in an attempt to lock eyes with the defense attorney seated behind him.

The motorcycle they were on wasn't going very fast yet, rolling along in a comfortable cruise until they reached the street. Not that it mattered to Apollo of course, who had been alternating between grumbling and a panicky shrill since Klavier had first suggested they take his motorcycle. Neither were certain that Apollo's bike helmet would work on a motorcycle, but, as Klavier reminded Apollo as he helped the short attorney onto the hog, they didn't have much of a choice.

They turned onto the road, picking up speed, and Klavier could have sworn he heard Apollo mumble instructions to keep his eyes on the road. He laughed a little, leaning into the rumbling machine and tightening his grip on the handlebars. He needed a distraction, something to tide him over from his former activity of trying very hard not to notice Apollo's decision to wrap his arms around his waist.

Although, he found himself thinking as he turned onto the appropriate exit, all things considered, this went rather well. He'd been certain Apollo would hate him, flattening him under a barrage of steely yells, frighteningly accurate perception, and who knew what else. The calm, matter-of-fact attitude was more than Klavier had expected, and frankly more than he thought he deserved. His chances with Apollo may have been destroyed when he drunkenly crossed this boundary, but at the very least they could probably remain friends. It was more than Klavier could have hoped for.

They pulled up at the agency two minutes shy of 8'o clock, and Apollo leapt off of the motorcycle nearly instantly.

"Herr Forehead! Careful!" Klavier barked, trying to navigate his helmet around his messy hair and off of his head. He didn't even think they'd stopped moving yet.

"Ack, I'm fine," Apollo yelled over his shoulder. "Thanks for the ride!"

He disappeared behind the Wright Anything Agency's door, helmet tucked under his arm and mouth already opening in an apology to Mr. Wright. Klavier sighed bitterly down to his motorcycle, already missing the warm weight of Apollo's arms around his waist. Apollo's departure seemed rushed, almost as though the attorney was trying to escape. Maybe their morning after hadn't gone as well as Klavier had thought.

He shifted back to a comfortable seat on the hog, slipping the helmet back over his hair. It was a frizzy, flyaway mess, deprived of the time or materials Klavier needed to twist it into the usual spiral. He'd probably have to run to the office bathroom, and grab a clip from his desk to get it into acceptable territory.

Luckily for Klavier, his office wasn't located very far from the WAA. It was a minute long ride there, plus a bit to park his hog and leave the helmet hanging from the handlebars, thumbs hooked into his pant pockets and humming Guilty Love. Klavier burst into his office five seconds after eight, making an instant beeline for the reclining chair in the back.

He fell down into the chair, leaning back and exhaling heavily. As far as Monday mornings went, this was probably one of the worst. Not that hangovers on a Monday were new to Klavier, especially with the medication he kept at the office, but everything seemed tense. Even the first meager seconds of peace he had today were a lie, his reclining position a cover for swirling thoughts and plans for damage control.

Later, Klavier would wish he appreciated those last few days more before his phone began ringing off the hook.

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 **Sorry it's a lil short, chapter 4's probably going to be much longer and really start to get things going. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**What's this? The plot actually beginning? Whoa!**

 **Yeah. This is the longest chapter so far, and the next one's probably going to be super short. Let's get this show on the road!**

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"Congrats, Apollo, by the way." Mr. Wright smirked, tossing a stack of some floppy paper on Apollo's desk. "You're a celebrity."

Apollo looked up from his report, only to see Mr. Wright walking away. While this was far from the oddest Thursday morning he had experienced at the WAA, this was far from normal, even by the WAA's standards. If he strained, he could hear Mr. Wright whistling in a parody of innocence in the other room, which was _definitely_ not normal. Was this payback for Apollo being hungover and more grumpy than usual on Monday?

Despite Mr. Wright wandering away, along with Apollo's train of thought, the stack of papers remained, and Apollo saw now that it was a magazine- one of Trucy's teen ones.

The glossy cover was filled with the usual, bright circles and bubbly letters dotting the page with article titles pertaining to **_YOU!_** Blurry pictures of celebrities in dark sunglasses were scattered around the cover, the subjects looking rather harassed. This was all making way for the main event, however, a frame for an enlarged, grainy picture of- Apollo blinked, leaning in. _No._

He had no idea where they had gotten the picture of him and Klavier, nor did he ever want to know. The caption instructed him to turn to page 32, where an article about the two of them lead down the page, opposite a perfume ad. Apollo scanned it, heart thumping at the phrases, only getting more and more worrying as his eyes scrolled down. _Passionate courtroom rivals, internationally renowed former frontman of the Gavinners, responsible for the arrest, band breakup,_ _brother-_

He jumped at the ring of his phone, a vibrating picture of Klavier Gavin staring up at him from his bag. He groaned, covering his face with his hands. He didn't want to be reminded of this problem.

Apollo hadn't had much time to think about him and Klavier lately, wrapped up in a long case about a murder that was just as convoluted as usual. He'd never been happier to see Winston Payne on the other side of the courtroom, even if it was only because he wasn't Klavier Gavin. He'd been so glad he wasn't even annoyed with Payne's shrill voice for most of the trial, it only began to really grate on the last day of the trial, yesterday.

His phone began to buzz more aggressively and a pang hit him, as he suddenly heard his voice from the day they had exchanged numbers, vivid as a hallucination. _If you ever need someone to talk to… after… y'know…_

It had been the day of Kristoph's second trial.

Before he could think too hard about it, Apollo picked up the phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Considering that you picked up on the first ring, I assume you've seen it."

"How do you _deal_ with this stuff?" Apollo stared down at the magazine in horror.

There was a booming laugh from the other end. "Time and patience, Herr Forehead. The scoop's only good for as long as it's new."

"You think this will blow over?" Much as Apollo insisted his relationship with hope was a bad one, he couldn't help but call on it now. _Please, please, please, I'm only 22, I've only just started-_

"Unfortunately, no." Apollo suddenly remembered why he had ended his relationship with hope.

Klavier continued. "New, Herr Forehead, doesn't only apply to _when_ the story happened- but to how many ways they can twist it, and how much they can fill in the blanks."

"So what you're saying is that since this actually _happened-_ "

"-they can continue to find new information on it. Ja." Apollo felt like slumping onto his desk and burying his face in the pile of paperwork there. This was _not_ happening this was _not_ happening this was _not-_

"My main concern, Herr Forehead, is how this will affect you."

"Me?"

"Ja. The connection may be drawn between your court victories and our relations, so-"

"They'll suggest I've only won because I was _fucking_ _you?_ " Apollo nearly screamed into the phone.

" _Apollo…_ " Apollo winced, clapping a hand over the receiver and yelling an apology to Mr. Wright. It was nearly hypocritical, the way the man despised it whenever anyone cursed in Trucy's presence. Apollo bitterly wondered if he asked his poker opponents not to curse when he brought Trucy with him to the Borscht Bowl.

Apollo brought the phone back to his ear, gritting his teeth when he heard Mr. Wright chuckling lightly. Apparently he found Apollo's situation funny.

"Sorry. I'm back." He near mumbled into the receiver, and he could practically see Klavier's understanding smile.

"Nein, it's alright. I understand that this is a… stressful situation, and I apologize for it."

"It's not your fault. Go on."

He could have sworn he heard Klavier breathe a sigh of relief before he continued. "I've spoken with my agent, and she agrees that this is the best course of action we have available to us at the moment."

Apollo felt his blood turn to ice. "What is?"

Klavier let out a short huff of breath, as though he was preparing himself. "Faking a breakup."

Apollo shot forwards. " _What?"_

"I know it's unusual, but we can fabricate the end to a relationship and convince them that our… _relations_ Sunday night were the product of this relationship."

"No, but…" Apollo floundered, trying to verbalize a legitimate complaint that wasn't ' _but I do actually want to be in a relationship with you'._ "What good will that do? If anything, that's worse, because then they can claim I was emotionally manipulating you in court through our relationship."

"Nein, nein, you misunderstand," Klavier said quickly. "Putting us in a relationship shifts the focus, Herr Forehead. Now the story is not about two people fucking, it's about two people making love. You understand the difference, ja?"

"Yeah." Apollo leaned back into his chair, considering. Shifting the focus… everyone would be concentrated on the love story, and the tragic breakup that followed. Apollo and Klavier sleeping together wasn't the story anymore, it was a tiny shard, legitimized in the mosaic of their "love".

"I could write a breakup song or two," Klavier was saying, "and this will all be over for you."

Apollo fleetingly hoped the regret he heard in the prosecutor's voice wasn't just wishful thinking on his part.

"I get all of it, except… Why the breakup now?" Apollo fiddled with the pen on his desk, flipping it back and forth.

" _Was_?" Klavier seemed confused.

"I mean…" The cap of the pen slipped through his fingers, falling to the floor. "No one's going to believe we kept this relationship secret for this long."

"Herr Forehead, I understand that you don't want to be in a relationship with me, fake or not, but-"

Apollo didn't hear the rest of it, over the sound of his heart pounding. _You stupid, glimmerous fop. You've got it all_ _ **backwards.**_

"Prose- Klavier, I don't think you get it." Apollo sat up, spinning the pen. "I think we should fake a relationship."

Klavier paused. "Fake… dating?"

"Yeah. We claim it started a week ago or something, and that it was a secret up until now. Basically your plan, minus the breakup." Apollo wondered why his hands were sweating so much if this was a _fake_ date he was proposing.

Klavier chuckled. "Ja, that does sound good, if you're comfortable with it."

"Looks like we've got ourselves a fake date." Apollo said proudly, trying not to let Klavier hear his sigh of relief.

"Bis später then, baby." He could hear the wink in Klavier's voice.

"We're going to have to fake date in English," Apollo grumbled, smiling slightly at Klavier's laugh before hanging up.

He couldn't keep the smile slight for long. The second the phone was off he collapsed backwards into the chair, feet lifting off the floor and fists pumping in victory. He had really done it, he was going on a date with Klavier Gavin! Never mind that it was fake, a date was a date, and Apollo would celebrate it as such.

It seemed odd to claim victory over something as small as a date when he had slept with the man not a week ago, but Apollo preferred to see it as the beginning of a real relationship. A real fake relationship.

The sound of a throat being cleared dragged Apollo back to reality, where Phoenix Wright was leaning against a doorway. He seemed bemused, hands buried in his hoodie pocket and beanie resting on his head, as usual.

"Working hard, or hardly working?" He asked conversationally, not bothering to hide the chuckles shaking his shoulders.

"For your information, this is a strictly professional relationship." Apollo leaned forwards, tossing the phone lightly onto the desk, near the magazine.

"Ten bucks Gavin doesn't think so." Mr. Wright offered. Apollo mentally thanked whatever force had stopped him from mentioning Apollo's outburst a few seconds earlier, one that he obviously found hilarious- not to mention indicative of some feelings on Apollo's end, too.

"Mr. Wright, I've actually got to work now," Apollo protested, sweeping the magazine and phone away with a forearm and hunching over the desk.

Mr. Wright smiled, turning to walk away. "I'm so glad I can motivate you through the threat of my company."

Apollo couldn't even fathom a reply to that. He picked up his pen, starting on the documents, hoping that his grumbles were out of Mr. Wright's earshot. This day was shaping up to be nothing but an emotional rollercoaster.

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 **Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy New Year even though we're probably in different time zones!**

 **...it's the thought that counts.**

 **Either way, I hope that everyone had a great year, and a great beginning to the next one as well. What better way to start off this year than with a really short chapter? (Yeah, I'm sorry. Break is pretty much over for me, so updating is only going to get harder from here.)**

 **Well, back to the point I guess: there's a new chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

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"So, where are you taking me tonight, Herr Forehead?" Klavier purred, though the effect was lost through the connection. To Apollo, his voice only seemed disrupted and somewhat static.

"Taking you?" Apollo shifted the phone to rest between his ear and shoulder, shuffling files to pack into his open briefcase. It had been a long day at the office, not helped by Mr. Wright's constant teasing.

"Ja. I seem to remember someone asking me on a date earlier."

"Objection!" Old habits died hard, it seemed, and Apollo winced at his choice of outburst. "I-I didn't ask you on a date, I asked you to be my fake boyfriend!"

Klavier laughed. "Rather forwards of you. Don't you think you should take me out to dinner, first?"

"Nah," Apollo snapped his briefcase shut, angling his phone better with his newly free hand. Something about Klavier reminding him he had been the instigator emboldened him. "I made the first move, I'm simply awaiting the response."

He was sure Klavier was grinning, he could hear the pure glee in his voice. " _Ah._ In that case, I will be picking you up at 7'o'clock. Be ready."

There was a loud dial tone, and Apollo set the phone down with a wince. He picked up his briefcase, taking a moment before he realized Trucy was standing in the doorway.

"You have a _date?_ " Apollo jumped, looking up to see the younger girl rocking back and forth on her heels. Did everyone in this family have an uncanny habit of popping up as he was talking to Klavier?

"No need to sound so surprised," He grumbled.

"Is it with Klavier?" Her grin widened at the sudden shock registering on Apollo's face.

 _Was his thing for Klavier that obvious?_ "How did you know?"

"Wow, the magazine was right!" Trucy cheered, and Apollo realized he had just admitted it to her. "You two really did do something on Sunday!"

"Um…" Apollo rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. He really didn't want to discuss his sex life with his boss' daughter. "Yeah. We did."

"I think you're cute together!" She gushed. Apollo sighed. He really didn't want to be the one to tell her it was fake, especially when he found himself wishing as much as her that it wasn't.

"Thanks," He gave her a wan smile, shuffling sideways past her to head for the door.

"Be sure to tell me all about it tomorrow! I want to know everything about the date before the magazines do!" Somehow, she managed to yell all this before the door shut behind him. Apollo fought the urge to collapse into it. He felt as if he could just slide down it, deflating into a crumpled heap and pretending everything didn't exist. He couldn't do that, though.

After all, he had to get ready for his fake date with the fake boyfriend he had been pretending not to like for so long, and was now pretending to pretend to like despite actually liking him.

That sentence hurt Apollo's head.

What happened to his life?

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 **Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow okay here goes**

 **So, this is the first chapter my editor friend hasn't checked. Yay. Um... it's long?**

 **Ah well. Either way, hope you enjoy, and sorry for taking so long to update!**

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If there was a single place in this world that could be called heaven, Apollo thought this would be it.

Lifted above the ground, far from his usual worries, bundled in Klavier's arms, and rocking ever so gently back and forth- now _this_ was a recipe for perfection.

The tiny cabin was silent, the occupants nearly drifting off to sleep. It was very warm with the two of them cuddled against each other, breaths falling on the other's skin.

Ironically, if you had asked Apollo where heaven was a few hours ago, he never would have replied, "At the top of a Ferris Wheel, with Klavier Gavin."

Funny, how things could change.

Apollo had been uncertain about a date at Gatewaterland. It _was_ a badger-themed park, and not exactly the first thing he'd think of when he imagined a date with a rockstar. The cynic in him wanted to suggest it was a cheapskate's move- Klavier was given a discount on their admission tickets seemingly simply for existing, even though Apollo suspected his wallet was literally bottomless- but Klavier seemed so enthusiastic that he had to give him the benefit of the doubt and at least _try_ this out.

At first, what they had been doing together could still be classified as friendship. Klavier had rammed into Apollo on the bumper cars, laughing wildly in his usual way. Apollo proved to be a merciless driver, ramming into the blonde with every opportunity he got. By the end of it, Klavier was red in the face and breathless, hair escaping from the usual twist.

Apollo had also easily beaten him at the Western-themed laser tag at the Wild, Wild West zone. He'd thought the activity childish, but Klavier had insisted, and there was no denying him when he got that light in his eyes, asking _"Please, schatz?"_ Besides, it was only too easy to beat a man who insisted on attempting somersaults and other over-the-top nonsense to dodge a simple shot. Klavier only hit Apollo once, the time when he had fallen so badly Apollo had approached worriedly, certain he'd broken his wrist. He quickly proved Apollo wrong, however, nailing him right in the chest and celebrating with a victory air guitar. It slowed him down enough for Apollo to shoot him twice, despite his protests that _victory air-guitars are instant immunity, schatz!_

Klavier had thrown up after taking the punishing rollercoaster, one with two upside-down loops. Apollo had _told_ him not to take it, himself being too sober to do anything of the sort. Either way, Apollo won the bet, and a cone of cotton candy. He would have asked Klavier if he wanted some too, but judging by the tinge of green on his face, he wouldn't do well with it.

They'd given up on rides and started walking together, hands linked and bodies pressed close, quietly talking to each other. Klavier pointed out a well-used stage at the stadium, recalling with a smile that it was one of the Gavinners' first venues. It certainly explained the discounts on their tickets, at any rate.

Apollo couldn't exactly remember who pointed out the Ferris Wheel first, only that it was dark and late, and the park was nearly deserted. The line was a joke, and the two had a seat on the ride in no time.

"That wasn't too awkward, was it?"

Apollo turned away from the window.

Klavier looked genuinely concerned, playing with the rings on his fingers. Leave it to Klavier to worry about how a fake date went.

"N-no, it was great!" Apollo wished he wasn't blundering so much, it almost made him seem insincere. "I-I mean, at first this seemed really tacky, I was expecting a restaurant or something- but this was fun."

Klavier relaxed visibly, looking up and meeting his eyes. "Danke."

"'Sides," Apollo said matter-of-factly, leaning back and resting in the crook between Klavier's arm and torso, "I like spending time with you."

He wasn't entirely sure why he'd done that. There was something about the privacy and intimacy of the situation that just called for it. He did like Klavier, that much was obvious, and the two of them _were_ on a date, after all. Apollo was sure he could just blame it on fatigue later, anyways.

If Klavier was surprised, he didn't show it. He probably thought it was part of the act. His arm lifted to hold Apollo's shoulder, wrapped around him tightly. Apollo closed his eyes, resting his face against Klavier's shoulder.

Apollo almost felt guilty during that ride, dozing off in Klavier's arms. He'd taken everything from Klavier- his brother, best friend, and now private life, yet he was able to put an arm around Apollo and smile for Apollo's sake. Everything lead back to their fake relationship, everything lead back to the fact that try as he might, anything Apollo did would only be interpreted as acting. Essentially, he was in a hopeless situation: if he tried anything now, Klavier would only think he was lying, but if he waited until they broke up, he'd force himself to have to admit he'd thought up the whole fake dating scheme as an excuse to get closer to Klavier.

Klavier was warm though, and he somehow managed to smell nice despite his rollercoaster incident not one hour ago. Celebrities really were inhuman. Klavier looked far more attractive right now than he had any right to be.

Most of his hair had escaped the coil, shorter strands framing his face and longer ones ghosting Apollo's skin. Klavier's eyes had closed during the ascent, and they remained that way now. His chest rose and fell at a soothingly slow pace- or maybe it just seemed that way to Apollo, whose heart was currently doing its best impression of a racehorse.

With his eyelashes fluttering slightly and his lips slightly parted, Klavier Gavin had never looked more kissable.

Apollo couldn't help but feel as though kissing him now was betraying his trust somehow. Klavier had agreed to fake dating, not real dating.

Apollo couldn't put him in a position where he pretended Klavier loved him back.

"Klavier?" Apollo wasn't sure if he was asleep or not, but their cabin was nearing the ground. "Klavier, the ride's almost over."

Klavier lifted his head off of Apollo's, retracting his arm almost bashfully. "Ja."

It almost seemed as if he was just as reluctant as Apollo to move apart, but Apollo didn't want to push it. It could just be him trying to convince himself that he had a chance, when he really didn't.

They walked off with their hands together again, headed for the exit on the other end of the park, when they passed several lit booths. They were the typical theme park sort, rigged games with enticingly-placed stuffed animals hanging off of them. Klavier's face brightened at the sight.

"Time for me to start winning, ja?" He reasoned to a grumbling Apollo, accepting the three balls from the vendor with a wink.

"Just have to knock over the badgers," The exhausted-sounding lady mumbled, flipping a switch to make the three swing back and forth. Klavier assumed a fighting stance and took aim, missing spectacularly three times to Apollo's glee.

"Can I try again?" He asked the lady over Apollo's laughter, who handed him a few more balls after he paid a second fee.

"You look familiar," She looked slightly more awake, faced with the mental task of remembering who Klavier was. "Say, aren't you that rockstar guy? Klavier Gavin, right?"

"Ja." Klavier's cheeks turned a vibrant shade of red, as though he'd rather not be recognized for once. Apollo snickered again, and Klavier shot him a dirty look.

"Supportive boyfriend, aren't we?" Klavier said with a mocking frown, before he proceeded to miss the next three throws.

Apollo and the booth vendor only became more and more amused with each miss Klavier took, including several spectacular ones where he dropped the ball, flung it backwards, or got it lodged on top of the stand itself.

"Not as coordinated as you look, are you?" Apollo asked after the last one, when Klavier lifted him to retrieve the ball.

"Nein, but I have to get it sometime!" Klavier said with usual optimism, though Apollo was less hopeful.

"Klavier, we do have _work_ tomorrow, we really need to-" Apollo began when he was back on the ground, brushing off his shirt. At the pleading look he received in return, Apollo launched forwards and grabbed the remaining balls from Klavier's grasp.

"Let me." He stepped back slightly, scrunching one eye shut and drawing his arm back.

He let go of the ball, nailing the wooden badger in a clean shot. His next throw nearly missed but scraped the edge of the badger, knocking it over Apollo didn't even know how.

Apollo couldn't really believe he had done it, he wasn't much of a shot, but he supposed that compared to Klavier anyone could be good. Either way, when he turned back to Klavier, he was already negotiating for more tries.

"The park's _closing,_ " The vendor sighed, but she grabbed a plush badger and handed it to Apollo regardless of the fact that he'd only knocked down two badgers.

"You know what, you've earned it," She said, beginning to pack up for the night. "Good luck, kid."

Klavier cheered, and the two finally continued their walk towards the exit before Apollo stopped in his tracks.

"Schatz?" Klavier turned around.

"For you," Apollo held the stuffed badger out to Klavier. "to commemorate our first date."

"Oh, Herr Forehead, I never knew you were such a hopeless romantic." Klavier took the stuffed animal, hugging it slightly.

"Nah, I'm just pawning it off on you 'cause it's creepy." Apollo shrugged nonchalantly, putting his hands in his pockets and walking off. Klavier dashed back to his side, and either didn't hear Apollo's comment or was immune to sarcasm, because he leaned in to kiss Apollo on the cheek.

"Danke." He said quietly, his breath warm against Apollo's cheek. Apollo's skin heated up under Klavier's touch, and Apollo's hand lifted to gingerly touch his cheek. Klavier muffled his soft laugh in the plushie, using his other arm to draw Apollo close. Apollo rested his head on Klavier's shoulder again, thinking that as far as fake dates went, he'd gotten lucky.

* * *

 **Well that happened. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**gahhh I'm using this as an excuse to procrastinate help**

 **uh here have some conversations**

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"So!"

Apollo looked up from his latest court case, biting back a sigh. He'd been dreading this today, although a nagging voice in the back of his head said that the voice was far too deep to be Trucy's.

Sure enough, there was Mr. Wright, initiating conversation yet again. "How was the date?"

Apollo groaned. "Really, Mr. Wright? I was expecting this from Trucy, but I hoped I'd get better from you."

"Oh." Mr. Wright seemed almost bashful, an emotion Apollo thought he'd never see the man have. "Yes." Mr. Wright lowered his voice. "I've had a talk with her. She knows you two are faking it now. Sorry if she was bothering you earlier."

"Wow, someone in this family is sorry for bothering me?" Apollo replied sarcastically, searching for a file in his briefcase. "I think I might just have to check the window for any flying pigs."

" _Apollo."_ Mr. Wright sighed. "I understand you made some bad choices, and you're trying to fix them. I didn't think you needed a hyperactive teenage girl putting pressure on you."

"Thanks." Apollo said, finding the file and dropping it on his desk. "And I do really mean it."

"All in a day's work," Mr. Wright shrugged, leaving the room again. For a split second, Apollo wondered how he'd known Apollo was allegedly faking it with Klavier, but then remembered how he'd been yelling about it on the phone yesterday. The real mystery was how Trucy thought they _weren't_ faking it, based on Apollo's phone conversations.

It was characteristic of the Wright Anything Agency that Apollo would get his answer exactly one hour later. After all, they couldn't have Apollo be productive for _too_ long.

Apollo was bent over in his chair, searching for another file from his briefcase on the floor when Trucy walked in.

"I won't tell Daddy," Trucy opened excitedly, leaning over his desk.

Apollo shot upwards, banging his head on the desk. "What?"

"You and Klavier are _actually_ dating!" She grinned, bursting with glee.

Apollo groaned, dropping his aching head between his legs. "I thought he had a talk with you. We aren't actually dating."

She shook her head, eyes shining. "No, you're lying! It's just like when Daddy brings me to his poker games. You're bluffing, Polly!"

"I am _not,_ " Apollo looked over the desk and protested, but something told him it was no use. Trucy was right, she could see through people like nothing Apollo had witnessed before. She had even taught Apollo to do it, with the help of his bracelet. Apollo was trying to lie to a living lie detector.

"You're pretending you don't like him, but you actually do." Apollo's facial expressions began to betray him, letting Trucy know she was spot on. "That's kinda dumb, Polly. Why don't you just tell him you like him?"

Apollo sighed. It had to be some kind of record for him, wishing he wasn't talking about his sex life to his boss' daughter for the second time in two days. "It's… more complicated than that, Truce."

"No it isn't." She leaned more into the desk, balancing on her elbows. "You already got past the hard part, and asked him on a date. He said yes!"

"Truce…" Apollo sat up properly, brushing his hair back. "It's not like that, because he thinks this is fake. He's already doing this as a favor to me, to protect _my_ credibility from the media. I can't ask any more from a man whose life I've destroyed."

Apollo's eyes lost their focus, staring holes into the gap of blank space in front of him. He really had destroyed Klavier's life, hadn't he? From the moment they had met, all he'd done was throw everyone Klavier valued in jail- hell, it had even started _before_ they had met, when he convicted Kristoph the first time.

Then there was the second time, when he'd forced Klavier face-to-face with Kristoph. Apollo didn't think he'd ever forget the haunted look on Klavier's face, the subtle way his eyes flicked to Kristoph with every move he took. All it took were a few words from Kristoph before he looked as though he was on the verge of breaking down. There was only one time in the entire trial when he'd completely turned his focus from Kristoph, in those tense moments after Apollo had addressed him. He'd been so worried, thinking that Klavier looked as though he was in physical _pain,_ concerned that banging his fists into the table and ordering Klavier to remember what was important to him was _wrong,_ yet he himself couldn't have been more wrong. Klavier's unease completely evaporated as he stared at Apollo, as he quietly assured Apollo that he couldn't forget what was important to him if he tried.

Trucy shook her head vigorously, knocking Apollo out of his reverie. "That's wrong, Polly! You didn't destroy his life, you _saved_ him. Do you think he'd rather still be with a bunch of murderers?"

"That's kind of a black-and-white way of looking at it, Trucy." Apollo said tiredly.

"Maybe," She said, planting her hands on her hips. "but Klavier values the truth, Polly. That's why he's a lawyer. You helped him find the truth in his personal life, and even though it was hard, it's what he'd want."

Apollo pressed his finger to his forehead. "That… actually makes sense."

Trucy shrugged. "Like I said earlier," she called from over her shoulder, turning to get one last look at him before she disappeared behind the door. "I think you're cute together."

She walked away cheerfully, and Apollo could only think that she'd spent _far_ too much time around Mr. Wright.

* * *

 **thanks for reading! I can't believe people are still reading this tbh**


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow, I am so sorry it took this long! ripperino I need to get this together**

 **so, now that everything's in a normal schedule again, I'm figuring out what to prioritize and whatnot. If you're interested, I've put up a poll on my profile so you can weigh in on what you want to see.**

 **anyways, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"They want a press conference, Apollo."

"Can't we keep this relationship private?" Apollo groaned. He couldn't think of a way he'd rather spend his Saturday morning than talking to Klavier over the phone, sure, but he didn't like where this conversation was going.

"I thought the entire point _was_ to make this public, Herr Forehead." Klavier teased.

"Yeah, but I'm an awful actor," Apollo complained, propping up his phone with his shoulder as he poured himself some cereal. It was far too early in the morning for talk like this, especially following Trucy's advice yesterday. Now he had too many agendas to count. "Can't we just say we'd prefer to keep our privacy? Wouldn't that be convincing?"

"'Suspicious' is the word I'd use." Klavier replied. "It's just a press conference ja? I'll handle the hard stuff. It'll only make this farce over quicker."

Apollo swallowed, dragging his chair back and sidling into it. He didn't _want_ this to be over, he _wanted_ to stay with Klavier forever. He supposed that it would be conspicuous of him to deny this at this point, though.

"I guess." The short conversation seemed over at this point, but Apollo wanted to keep it going. "So how was work yesterday?"

Klavier laughed. "We're only pretending to date, Apollo. You don't have to-"

"What?" Apollo interrupted, taunting. "Scared of domesticity?"

" _Never,_ " Klavier said it with such a conviction that Apollo had to laugh.

"Well, if you must know, the Paynes are being insufferable again." Apollo choked on his cereal.

" _I know, right?!"_ He nearly yelled, and he could hear Klavier getting worked up on the other end too.

" _Scheiße,_ the _voice_ and the _ego_ -"

"You're forgetting the hair," Apollo pointed out, gesturing to nothing with his spoon.

"Ach, ja, how could I forget the poor carcasses they drape over their balding heads?" Klavier said sarcastically, and Apollo leaned over the table laughing.

"Very accurate," He finally wheezed, dipping his spoon into the cereal. "I'm curious, do you talk about all of your coworkers behind their backs?"

"Only the ones that deserve it." Klavier reassured him.

"Oh, so we have a vigilante here." Apollo said in between bites of cereal.

"A gossip vigilante." Klavier repeated, laughing. "Put it on my resume. Klavier Gavin: Rockstar, prosecutor, and gossip vigilante."

"You'll strike fear into the hearts of your enemies, for sure." Apollo promised him, joining into his laughter.

It took a while for their laughter to die down, and Klavier broke the long period since the last thing Apollo had said. "Are you busy today?"

"I thought we were only pretending." Apollo quipped, picking up his finished bowl of cereal to take to the sink.

"Ja, but we must be convincing. It'd do us well to be spotted before the press conference tomorrow." Apollo's stomach churned. Right. He had agreed to that.

"Alright." Apollo dumped the bowl in the sink, turning and leaning his back against the counter. "Surprise me."

"Ja, that is my intention." Apollo was sure Klavier was winking and playing with that fringe of hair wherever he was, and the thought brought a smile to Apollo's face. He kept on smiling as the dial tone came on, and as the hand holding the phone dropped by his side. Being in love really was _something,_ wasn't it?

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**whelp here's chap 9**

 **so bc I'm bad at decisions I have a poll on my profile (mentioned in an edit of last chapter, just making sure this gets through) so anyone who cares can tell me what they want posted or written or whatnot. (also, how much does it say about me that when I tried to type "poll", I typed "pollo"?)**

 **anyways, here's what I assume you came for. enjoy.**

* * *

"Here."

Apollo shifted closer to Klavier, holding a sloppily woven strand of green in the air. Klavier bowed his head, watching through his eyelashes as Apollo nestled the crown in his hair. It slipped, and Apollo made to catch it, but it stayed lopsided. Klavier brought his head back up regardless, grinning. The wreath was already coming apart, and he'd probably be finding weeds in his hair for days, but it was worth it to have this sunlit time with Apollo.

This date hadn't been as surprising as Klavier had hinted, especially after he texted Apollo the destination to meet at, but it was still heavenly. A few hours ago Klavier had pulled up at People Park, on his motorcycle, and strode over to a disbelieving Apollo.

 _"I must say, I'm used to being inspected by the ladies," He leaned in with a wink, and Apollo facepalmed. "But this is the first time I've felt this way with a man."_

 _"Do you really have to do this?" Apollo peeked at him through his fingers, possibly the brightest shade of red Klavier had ever seen on him. And that was saying something._

Sure, Klavier had been stopped a few times by people who recognized him, but most of it had been peaceful bliss. They'd fed the ducks together, Apollo had taught him how to skip rocks- _"No, you've gotta do it more like this-" "Schatz, I will never be as good as you,"_

They'd also shared ice cream together.

 _"One cone, huh?" Apollo turned to Klavier, seated on a bench near the stream. "Cheapskate. You're a_ _ **rockstar.**_ _"_

 _"Former, schatz." Klavier reminded him, sitting next to him and leaning in. "We can share one, nein?"_

 _"Ugh, you've licked it," Apollo groaned, and Klavier leaned in and whispered into his ear._

 _"I've licked other things of yours, ja?" Apollo tried not to think about how hot and sweet Klavier's breath felt on his ear when he shoved the 'former' rockstar away._

 _"Too soon!" He protested, laughing as Klavier bumped into his neck and began kissing it. "Klavier, stop, that tickles. You're gonna spill the ice cream."_

 _"Oh," He pressed a kiss to Apollo's jaw, moving all the way back down to his collarbone. "Interested now?"_

 _"We're in a public place," Apollo mumbled as Klavier sat straight again. He followed Klavier, reaching for the ice cream. "Y'can't do that."_

 _Klavier kissed him full on the lips this time, handing the ice cream to Apollo. "Ja."_

They'd just been walking, hand in hand, following the path around the park and talking. Klavier teased, and Apollo stared down at their joined hands, blushing. It felt real, being casual with each other like this. It was almost like they were seeing each other for what they really were.

But then again, better not to let a songwriter describe how the date was going.

Apollo lead him to a grove of trees, an effective shield from anyone else. They'd sat down in the grass together, happily chatting about nothing in particular, and Apollo told stories while fiddling with some flowers.

Now Apollo surveyed his hair again, and must have been pleased with the results, because he sat back down.

"Sorry." His blush returned, full-force. "I haven't done that in years, and I was pretty sure I'd forgotten how. But now you're crowned and official!"

"Crowned?" Klavier asked, tilting his head to rearrange the wreath.

"Yep. You're the Prince of People Park, courtesy of Trucy Wright." Apollo said matter-of-factly, lowering to rest his head in Klavier's lap. Klavier inhaled sharply, but Apollo either didn't care or didn't notice. "The first time we met she thought you were a prince."

"I'm flattered." Klavier played with the blonde curl resting on his chest, _anything_ so he wouldn't have to touch Apollo. He felt so good, warm and inviting and trusting, lying on top of Klavier and breathing slowly. It would be only too easy to mess things up now. _Play it safe. Joke around with him. He agreed to this to get away from the media, not to deal with your feelings._

"I still can't believe you took me to the place where we first met," Apollo mumbled, folding his arms over his chest. "You really are a hopeless romantic."

"Ach, you've got me, schatz," Klavier laughed, lifting his hands in a mock surrender. Apollo's brow furrowed, and his lips formed a little pout as he thought.

"Hey, Klav?" He waited for the inquisitive nod before going on. "What does the- thing you keep calling me- shots? Yeah, what does that mean?"

Klavier lost it at the botched pronunciation, only stopping laughing when Apollo's blush extended to his ears. "Look- I'm no German expert, ok?"

"Nein, nein, schatz," Klavier tried to cool him down, lovingly playing with a bit of his hair. If he was being forced to answer this question anyways… "It's schatz. S-C-H-A-T-Z. It… it means dear, or darling, in German. It's a rather cheesy term, really, something for old married couples in movies."

Apollo was silent for a minute, and Klavier froze a little. Using the term had been rather self-indulgent if he was totally honest, especially when Apollo had no idea what it meant. It was what he wanted to call Apollo, though, and he supposed Apollo would prefer it to Herr Forehead.

"Sounds just like you," Apollo grumbled, though Klavier thought Apollo's blush had deepened. He hoped he wasn't imagining it.

"Glad you like it, schatz," Klavier leaned in to kiss Apollo's forehead, and Apollo wrinkled his nose when Klavier's coil brushed against it.

Yes, Klavier thought as Apollo gave him a contented sigh, this was perfect.

* * *

 **well that's it for this time kidz hope you enjoyed**


	10. Chapter 10

**hoo boy here come the long chapters**

 **sorry for the wait, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Apollo blinked.

He didn't want to show weakness, but damn, he'd never seen so many cameras in one place before.

Klavier gave him a reassuring smile, pulling out a chair for him before taking his own seat. He began an opening statement, mundane enough for Apollo to zone out. He wondered how many cameras there were.

Apollo started in a corner, mouthing each number to himself as he went.

It was a testament to how nervous he was that he'd lost count before he hit twenty.

Klavier was still talking.

"…I'm always happy to remain transparent, and I understand that many of you have questions for me and mein Herr Forehead." He ruffled Apollo's hair, pressing a sweet kiss to Apollo's forehead.

Apollo flushed beet red, to a chorus of laughs and _awww_ 's from the audience. The latter were the part that worried him, he wasn't sure how he'd ever live down being in a tooth-rottingly sweet moment with Klavier Gavin in public like this.

The initial grumpy feeling fizzled away, though, as he smiled and blushed to the ground. Klavier's affection may be fake, but it still made him feel good.

Apollo had decided to let himself live in this fantasy for as long as he could. He was Klavier Gavin's boyfriend goddamnit, and why shouldn't he be allowed to enjoy that? He wanted to get this crush out of his system, before their "relationship" was over and he'd only be making their friendship awkward. Crushes were only supposed to last 4 months, right?

The questions began then, though, and Apollo began to wring his hands the second an audience member stood up. He was going to mess up for sure, they'd all know he _actually_ liked Klavier-

Apollo nearly yelped, feeling something suddenly constrict around his hand. What the-?

Apollo looked down, to see Klavier's hand gripping his firmly. A ringed thumb started to stroke the back of his hand, and a smile quirked at the corner of Klavier's mouth. Klavier squeezed Apollo's hand again, as though to say _schatz, it'll be alright._

That, or Apollo was just imagining what he thought Klavier _would_ say.

Klavier answered the first few questions, unimaginative ones about them living together ( _nein, and no plans for it just yet,)_ , what kind of dates they went on ( _fun ones, ja? I'm sure I've been spotted at every single one of them,)_ , how they'd met.

The questions weren't as hard as he'd originally thought, actually. It wasn't too much different from answering Trucy's million questions, although with less private details.

The initial mundane questions were over quickly, though, and that was when the creative ones began. Klavier did a good enough job of steering the conversation away from sex (ironic, as that was the point of _all_ of this,) though there were some that Apollo didn't know how he answered.

"Do you think it's exploitative to begin dating a fan, Mr. Gavin?" A man with a blue hat asked, a leading question if Apollo ever saw one. Klavier picked up on this, too, and dismantled it with a deft answer.

"Ja, I do, and that's why I'm dating Apollo." There were mixed chuckles from the audience, starting again when Apollo rolled his eyes. Klavier winked at Apollo before starting again. "Apollo's not a fan. He receives headaches from my music. Think of this as a classic love story, ja? The high-and-mighty rockstar falls for a down-to-Earth, normal boy."

There were two more throwaway questions, before the next one that threw Klavier in for a loop.

"Mr. Gavin." The asker was a shrewd looking woman, standing tall. "How confident are you about this romantic relationship, considering the end to your last?"

Klavier's face darkened subtly, something that could only be picked up if one was sitting as close to him as Apollo was. His mouth twitched, as though he wanted nothing better than to tilt his chin up, bangs falling into his eyes and throat bared. Apollo clenched his hand around Klavier's, but Klavier wouldn't meet his eyes. Something was definitely wrong.

"My last romantic relationship…" He began, but left a pause. It was long enough to notice, but not long enough to interject anything. "It was a mistake, ja? Best left in the past where it belongs."

Apollo couldn't help but notice that anyone had yet to mention a name. It felt like this should be common knowledge, but Apollo had never heard of Klavier before that fateful day in People Park. He hadn't the foggiest who Klavier would date, especially when people danced around the subject like it might hurt Klavier. Apollo decided to ask afterwards, even if it was rude. Besides, it was better to hear it from Klavier than from a tabloid or a conspiracy theory in his head.

Apollo opened his mouth to say something, trying to drive them away from Klavier, when a person hastily yelled that they had a question for him.

"Er… yes?" He whipped around, no longer looking at Klavier, but staring straight at the person. Between the hair and voice, he couldn't tell if they were a woman or a man, but he could tell they were smiling. It made his skin crawl.

"Mr. Justice, now that you've been close to both brothers, how different are Kristoph and Klavier?"

Apollo tried not to yelp, and Klavier's eyes flashed dangerously at Kristoph's name. Apollo moved to answer before Klavier stopped it, he could do this.

"I was never in a relationship of any kind with Kristoph," He began, "He was my boss, and nothing more. Even though I wasn't in a relationship with him, however, I wouldn't dare compare him to Klavier. Not ever. Everyone knows what he's done by now, and Klavier never would. And that's that."

Apollo felt hot and sweaty. He wouldn't be surprised if he was shaking. He didn't want to think about Kristoph right now, but he'd rather it was him answering a question like this than Klavier. He might be inexperienced at press conferences, but everyone knew Kristoph was a taboo subject around Klavier. Klavier had taken so many hits already.

There was a dead silence after his answer, and all Apollo could hear was Klavier's breathing. It was more labored than usual.

A tall man finally broke the silence. "Mr. Justice, what's it like dating a rockstar?"

It seemed like an innocent enough question, one that Apollo could definitely answer. Klavier looked concerned for him after the last question, but Apollo pressed on.

"Well, he's a _former_ rockstar, so it doesn't have that much bearing on the relationship, to be honest."

"Ach, here it is." Klavier's warm smile had returned, almost as though it had never left. He leaned forwards, grinning widely. "I've been meaning to make an announcement."

He cleared his throat, pausing slightly. "I'll be having a concert this Saturday to premiere my solo album, coming out the day after."

The effect was instantaneous. The room exploded, questions firing at Klavier at a rapid pace- about the time, place, inspiration, music, costumes, everything. It was a brilliant diversion, and Apollo mentally thanked Klavier for it. He hadn't had a clue Klavier was planning this, and it did seem ridiculously last minute to announce a concert now, but it seemed like Klavier was pulling it off. Everyone sure seemed excited.

The announcement meant only questions for Klavier were being asked, so Apollo found himself dozing off again. He thought about trying to count the cameras again.

Before he knew it, the end was in sight.

"Last question." Klavier announced, though he still looked slightly shaken from the earlier questions. It seemed as though he was praying for Kristoph not to be mentioned again, and to be honest, Apollo was too.

A blonde stood up.

"Is Apollo the 'Herr Forehead' of _Guilty Love_ fame?"

Klavier's smile grew. "Ja."

There was a flurry of light and movement, as final pictures were snapped and last-ditch efforts at questions were shrieked towards the stage. Klavier escorted Apollo off, mumbling something about being sorry for the exposure and such, but Apollo didn't even hear it.

Apollo's thoughts were swirling. Klavier had mentioned him in one of his songs? He'd called him Herr Forehead too, but he suspected that was beside the point. _Klavier Gavin_ had mentioned _him_ in a song titled _"Guilty Love"._ The implications… was his flirting with Apollo really more than the usual rock star charade? Was Trucy right?

Apollo mentally kicked himself for the unintentional pun, and sped up to catch Klavier.

"H-hey, Klav?" He grabbed Klavier's sleeve, and Klavier turned around, amiable smile still on his face.

"Uh, that song the reporter mentioned…" Apollo rubbed the back of his neck with the arm not clutching at Klavier. "What did you say about me?"

"Ach, nothing much," He said, and Apollo didn't miss the light blush on his cheeks.

"I believe the lyric was, _Where's this love headed? To find your answer… Either go ask the wind… or better yet, go ask Herr Forehead!"_

 _He had mentioned love headed to Apollo in one of his most popular songs._

The next thing Apollo knew, he was yanking down on Klavier's ridiculous necklace, dragging Klavier's lips down to his.

* * *

 **roooooll credits lmao that title drop**

 **and yes, those are the canon lyrics. klapollo is so canon im screm**

 **thnks fr th read**


	11. Chapter 11

Klavier was still burning with afterglow on Monday morning, tapping his pencil on the desk with a small smile traced across his lips. His eyes were closed, and he could _feel_ Apollo tugging on his necklace, reaching up for Klavier with something passionate and sudden. His lips were a little chapped, and Klavier's hand was sticking to his hair, sweaty after clutching his hand for so long.

It wasn't the first time Klavier had relived the kiss since the event. He couldn't help but feel as though it was more than an act, or a publicity stunt to move the conference along. Apollo wasn't experienced or devious enough to construct something like that, and the theory didn't account for the _fire_ Klavier had felt from him.

Klavier wanted to believe it was real, but he was weary of letting himself think that. It was probably just fabrication on his end. Wishful thinking.

He'd begun to give up hope when Ema sauntered into his office, munching on a package of limited-edition snackoos. "So."

Klavier turned to face her; not bothering to hide the confused look on his face. He could have sworn she had this time off. "Fräulein Skye? What calamity has lead you to willingly enter my office?"

"Funny, fop." She welcomed herself in, flopping onto the chair in the back and flinging a snackoo at his face. Klavier dodged, nearly slamming his head into the paperwork on his desk. "I'm here to talk to you about your love life."

"Sorry fräulein, I'm taken." This time Klavier was ready for the assault, and he dodged the snackoo easily.

"That's what I _mean,_ fop." She leaned forwards, chewing thoughtfully. "How'd you do it? I thought Apollo had better taste than you."

Klavier sighed, slumping down in the chair. He didn't feel like pretending right now. "Ach, I don't think it's any use keeping this from you. Apollo and I are not actually going out."

Ema's eyes widened. " _What?"_

"This is a publicity stunt of sorts." Klavier confessed, playing with his fringe of blonde hair. "Apollo and I accidentally slept together after the party last week, and agreed that this was the best way to make sure his court record remained unquestioned."

Ema leaned back in the chair, stunned. "Wow," She mumbled, momentarily forgetting about the snackoos. Klavier was impressed. Making Ema forget about her snackoos was nearly medal-worthy, in terms of news.

Ema sat up and turned to him, a devilish smile on her face. "So, hypothetically, how much cash could I get for thi-"

" _Nein!"_ Klavier shrieked, leaning over and picking a snackoo off of the ground to launch at her. "You can't tell _anyone!"_

"Hey!" She whipped to the side. "Only I can attack people with snackoos!"

Try as he might, Klavier couldn't dodge five snackoos at once. "Ach! Ok! I'm sorry! Just don't tell anyone!"

Ema seemed satisfied with his surrender, leaning back into the cushioned chair and continuing her snackoos. "Why'd you two sleep together, anyways?"

"Alcohol." Klavier sighed, then continued softly. "Maybe something else on my part."

Ema spat out her snackoos, and Klavier wondered if he could get a combo for surprising Ema with snackoo-related effects. " _The glimmerous fop has a crush?!"_

"Ach, not so loud." Klavier dropped his head to his knees, clutching at his hair. "But ja, I do. And I'm fake dating him."

Ema burst out laughing. "You can't make this stuff up, can you?"

Klavier laughed too, but far more weakly. "Nein. You can't."

"Why aren't you real dating him?" Ema wondered, munching on a snackoo.

Klavier spun in his chair, toeing the ground. Now there was a can of worms.

"I'm scared," Klavier admitted. "He always seems so flustered, like I'm startling him. I don't want to mess things up between us."

 _But then there was the kiss-_

She laughed. "The glimmerous fop can't find the nerve to ask someone out? Give me a break."

"I'm serious, Ema!" Klavier protested, leaning back with his arms folded across his chest. "This time, I'm serious. I thought I'd messed everything up by sleeping with him, like he was just another one-night stand. Apollo means a lot to me, and I don't want to move too quickly."

Ema swallowed her latest bite. "You should probably say something."

Klavier leaned forwards. " _Was?"_

"Personally, I'd prefer rejection to this limbo-type thing." Ema popped another snackoo in her mouth. "But I'm no glimmerous fop."

Klavier looked down. "He's basically all I have left."

Ema didn't say anything to that, and for a while the only sound in the room was her chewing. Klavier was beginning to consider leaving the conversation at that and turning back to his work despite her, when she stood up from his chair and walked past him to the door.

"My break's nearly over," She explained, "and I have better things to do than talk to you all day."

Klavier sighed. Back to normal. "Ja."

Ema stopped in the door. "Klavier?"

Klavier was sure this was the first time she had used his name, and most likely the last. "Ja?"

"Why did you tell me all that?" She wondered aloud, arms crossed over the bag of snackoos. "We _hate_ each other."

"Ja." Klavier agreed, leaning back in his chair and brushing his hair back. "That's why I think I can trust you."

Ema seemed confused, so Klavier went further.

"As a prodigy and a celebrity, praise becomes terrifying, in a way."

It was true, everything he was saying. It was a lot to be recognized by nearly everyone you met, people with opinions on you as though they knew you intimately when you'd never seen them before in your life. He was a brilliant composer, he was a trashy head of a boy band, he was a good songwriter but an awful lawyer, and there was always the one who would tell him he was a pawn of his brother. Klavier was _something_ to everyone he met, before he met them.

Then there was the praise. No matter what they actually thought of him, people complimented him. He was a visionary, a prodigy, the hottest man alive, you name it. He was one of the most popular men in the world, and he had no idea if it was different behind his back.

He'd laughed, the first time he'd ridden a motorcycle. He was seventeen and some months, riding a motorcycle on a spur of adrenaline and teenage rebellion against Kristoph. Kristoph had always told Klavier to never ride one, he'd seen enough cases to know they were dangerous.

Klavier was at a red light, the first in the queue when it changed, to the usual chorus of honks as he didn't take off the instant it changed. He'd began laughing hysterically. With his motorcycle helmet on, no one could recognize him. He'd won his first case, toured after his first song went platinum, and he hadn't heard a word of criticism in months (there was apathy from Kristoph, but that was so mundane he'd stopped hoping), but anonymous, people could still criticize him. It felt refreshing.

One man had even passed him, flipping him off all the while. Klavier's motorcycle had taken a swerve at the onslaught of laughter this caused. He was never driving a car again.

It always felt so _real_ when people insulted him.

Klavier's voice began to crack, though he couldn't explain why. "The only people you can trust are the honest ones."

Ema nibbled on another snackoo, and Klavier fleetingly wondered if the bag was endless. "Not to mention the elephant in the room, but you haven't been that good with trusting the right people."

Klavier smiled weakly. "But I can trust the person who tells me that."

Ema shrugged. "Suit yourself. I decided long ago that I'd never understand your foppish ways."

Klavier winked, and she left the room with a grumble. Klavier thought he caught the words _impossible, foppish,_ and _useless,_ but that could have just been him filling in the blanks. Ema's distaste for him did become predictable, after a fashion.


	12. Chapter 12

**ah rip I just realized I forgot the ANs on the last chapter**

 **hope u enjoyed the silence while it lasted**

 **have episode 12: I Push my Shipping Agendas even Further**

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"Polly!" Trucy shrieked as soon as she saw him, bouncing on the couch with glee. "You were on _T.V!"_

"Wha-?" Apollo asked, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he closed the front door of the Wright Anything Agency behind him. He hadn't slept too well last night, to be honest. Monday mornings were always hard, sure, but last night he'd stayed up thinking about Klavier in the aftermath of the press conference, and-

" _Oh_ …" The press conference. Right. That was televised. "Uhh…" Apollo rubbed the back of his neck. He could feel a blush coming on. "Yeah, I guess."

"This is so _cool!"_ Trucy continued, and Mr. Wright ambled through the doorway clutching a cup of coffee.

"Ah, so he didn't forget us when he became famous," he said, as though Apollo wasn't even in the room. "I feel so loved."

"Good morning, Mr. Wright." Wasn't it a federal crime to be _this_ exasperated before he'd been at work for 10 minutes?! "and I'm not _famous._ People only care about me because I'm dating Klavier. I'll be forgotten as soon as we break up."

Trucy squeaked at that, and Apollo shot her a glare. "You're gonna break up?!"

"We're faking this, Trucy," he tried to explain, and he hoped the two of them hadn't heard his voice crack at the end. He knew that he had to break up with Klavier at some point, but he didn't feel ready to even imagine it. He tried to pass it off as fact to Trucy and Mr. Wright, hoping that it might convince him too.

Mr. Wright cleared his throat in the background, as though trying to remind Trucy of their conversation about leaving Apollo's love life alone. Her face fell.

"Yeah," she mumbled, and Mr. Wright nodded at her.

"Your bracelet must be killing you, though." Mr. Wright laughed, trying to change the subject. "What with all the lying and pretending going on."

"Nah." Apollo looked down at the bracelet. "I've started to notice, it doesn't really react to acting. I mean, it didn't tighten when a _certain someone kidnapped herself…"_ He shot a telltale look over at Trucy.

"Maybe you were too busy getting your butt saved to notice?" She suggested, planting her fists on her hips. She still seemed miffed at him and his plans for a breakup, especially when objecting to it would get her in trouble.

"Interesting," Mr. Wright interrupted, cutting into the budding argument. "I suppose there is a certain truth to acting. After all, you're telling the truth from the character's standpoint. We might have to make note of this loophole."

"Yeah." Apollo twisted the bracelet, spinning it around his wrist. "You're probably right."

It didn't explain how Trucy was able to see through him earlier. Apollo supposed she just had better abilities of perception than him. Or maybe Apollo was just a horrible actor.

Either way, he still had work to do. He couldn't stand here pondering his bracelet forever. Apollo hoisted up his briefcase and continued his walk to his office, when Mr. Wright interrupted.

"Oh, Apollo, would you mind taking care of this place for a couple of hours?" He called to Apollo's retreating back.

Apollo stopped, slightly confused but knowing better than to question anything at the Wright Anything Agency. "Oh, um, yeah. Sure."

"Not now, starting around four. Trucy and I will leave early to get ready for tonight." He explained, taking a long drought of coffee. It seemed like the very thought of whatever _tonight_ was put him on edge.

"Ooh, are we going to have dinner with Uncle Miles again?" Trucy asked happily, turning to him from her perch on the couch.

"Yep." Mr. Wright replied, still looking a little dazed. Apollo could only marvel at the destructive power of whoever Miles was, if he could fluster _Mr. Wright._

"Nice. Have fun on _your_ date," Apollo said sarcastically, stepping into his office and shutting the door. There was no _way_ he was passing up the opportunity to tease Mr. Wright, especially with the last few days at the office.

He tried to think about his case as he nearly tossed his briefcase on the desk, circling around it and collapsing into his chair. This last week had been so hectic, it was almost too much to believe that it was only one week ago that this had all started. In a sense, he'd be glad when this was all over. Maybe he'd finally be able to sleep again.

Apollo opened his briefcase and returned to working on his case, happily losing himself in it for a while. There were no fake boyfriends, mysterious exes, or odd families in it- for now, at least. This _was_ a Wright Anything Agency case, after all. It'd probably turn out that the prosecution's key witness was an alien who used mind-control to force the defendant into doing it or something. That, or the defendant was secretly a cabbage. With the hair, Apollo wouldn't really put it past him.

"Uh… Apollo?"

Apollo looked up to see Mr. Wright standing in the doorway, rapping his fist against the door. "Can I talk to you?"

Apollo sighed. He knew better than to expect anything but trouble when Mr. Wright walked into his office, but the man seemed genuinely concerned about something. He _had_ been a little jumpy earlier.

"Sure," he said, putting his pen down. Mr. Wright avoided eye contact. "What's up?"

"Well, I don't want Trucy to know just yet, but," he was speaking rather quickly, as though he was trying to spill it all out to Apollo before he lost his nerve. "I'm thinking about retaking the bar exam."

"Oh!" Apollo finally made eye contact with him, taken aback by the news. "Wow! That- that's- congratulations!"

He wasn't sure if he believed it. Phoenix Wright, the _legend,_ had been nothing but a lethargic poker player for so many years, and now he wanted his badge back. Maybe finally nailing Kristoph had something to do with it, but either way, Apollo was jumping for joy. It'd certainly help his workload, at the very least.

Phoenix laughed. "It's none of my doing, to be honest. Miles has been pushing for it, and… well, I think it'd be better for Trucy."

"Miles?" Apollo asked.

"Miles Edgeworth," Mr. Wright clarified, pausing for Apollo's gasp of recognition.

" _The_ Miles Edgeworth is helping you get your badge back?!" Apollo very nearly yelled, grinning manically. "That's _awesome!"_

"Yeah," Mr. Wright said, leaning into the door frame with a small smile on his face. "He says he won't marry me until I do. I think he's just trying to develop a sense of humor, but it probably couldn't hurt my chances, right?"

"W-wait… are you serious? You two are- you're going to propose?!" Apollo sputtered, trying to tie the thoughts together. Phoenix Wright, courtroom sensation, wanted to marry Miles Edgeworth, the man he'd saved from being the demon prosecutor?

"Yeah. I'd like to be a better role model for Trucy. She needs two capable, sober parents, and…" Mr. Wright trailed off, tilting his chin downwards as though to hide his blush, "well, I love Miles."

"Yes!" Apollo pumped his fists in the air. "Do it!"

Mr. Wright laughed. It sounded much more real than usual, as though he genuinely felt good. "Glad to know you're on board. Just- don't tell Trucy yet, alright? I needed to get that off my chest, but nothing's finalized yet. Hell, Miles could even say no."

"He won't." Apollo reassured him. "Now go study! You need that badge back!"

Mr. Wright left the room, muttering to himself with a smile. "I really did like showing it to people, actually…"

Apollo didn't have the heart to ask him to shut the door.

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 **narumitsu ok**

 **thanks for reading**

 **next chap will get even more shippy someone stop me**

 **next chapter: enter the trash king**


	13. Chapter 13

**rip this took awhile and it still sucks but who cares**

 **enjoy chapter 13: an excuse to write klavdar**

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Apollo was happy.

He drummed his pen on the table to a rhythm, grinning. He couldn't stop himself.

After all, if Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth could get a happy ending, who's to say him and Klavier couldn't?

Yes, Mr. Wright's decision to propose to Mr. Edgeworth felt like a good omen. For another prosecutor and defense attorney to fall in love, no matter the hard times, seemed too much of a coincidence to let go of. If Mr. Wright could do it, he could too. Apollo would tell Klavier he loved him- after the song and everything he couldn't be the only one.

Trucy poked her head in the doorway, and Apollo jumped. He thought her and Mr. Wright had left some time ago.

"What, you're still here?!" He asked, at the same time she asked him a question.

Trucy didn't reply to his question, instead choosing to repeat hers. "Is that _Guilty Love?!_ "

Apollo looked down at the pen he'd dropped when he jumped, remembering how he'd been tapping it to some rhythm. "Uh, yeah, I guess."

Trucy knit her eyebrows together, smiling. "You really love him, don't you?"

Apollo opened his mouth to protest, but the thought of Klavier brought back a question he had to ask her. He'd been putting it off, really, mostly because he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. "Hey Trucy, you're a Gavinners expert, right?"

"Well yeah, of course, Polly!" She said brightly, rocking back and forth on her heels.

Apollo didn't quite know how to phrase this. "So… during the press conference, Klavier mentioned this past relationship, and I was wondering, uh-"

" _Polly!"_ She very nearly shrieked, disbelieving. "Don't tell me you don't know it!"

Apollo shook his head, and she excitedly pressed on. "It was the _biggest thing,_ when two of the Gavinners got together-"

Two of the Gavinners? Wait…

Oh, please don't let it be who Apollo was thinking of.

"Klavier and Daryan!"

Apollo felt like screaming.

Really, it wasn't anything new in the Wright Anything Agency, especially when he was talking to an overexcited Trucy. This, however, this was probably the first time he felt like screaming about something that the Wrights hadn't caused.

Trucy was watching his face with a kind of glee, as though it was proving her point about him and Klavier. "Polly-"

Apollo wasn't even sure he believed it. This had to be some crazy fan theory, something completely fabricated within chat rooms on the internet. Klavier _couldn't_ have fallen for the surly, nihilistic mess Apollo had met at the Gavinners concert. It felt wrong.

Apollo gritted his teeth, imagining the two of them together. He could just _see_ Daryan kissing Klavier roughly; hands on Klavier's waist while Klavier gripped his hair, making the little humming noises he did when he was content. (The hair did beg the question of how it was even possible to kiss someone with Daryan's style, but Apollo was too angry to care.) Apollo bitterly wondered if Klavier had ever smiled at Daryan like Klavier smiled at him.

"Polly?" Trucy asked again, beginning to look worried. "He-llo?"

Apollo jerked back to reality, blinking and trying very hard not to think about Klavier and Daryan. "Huh?"

"Wow," Trucy breathed, eyes shining. "You're _jealous."_

Apollo suddenly felt sick. Was he _jealous?_ Of _Daryan Crescend?_ He'd never pegged himself as the jealous type, and yet-

He couldn't do this. No matter how awful he felt at the thought of them together, he couldn't do this. This was the past, this was _Klavier's_ life, and most importantly, this was Klavier's _consensual_ boyfriend. Apollo was a fake boyfriend. Really, he had no jurisdiction.

"No," he told Trucy, and her narrowed eyes told him that she'd detected the lie.

"I can't, Trucy." Apollo sighed, pushing his pen across the desk. "I have no right to, especially as a fake boyfriend."

Trucy nodded slowly. "But you lo-"

"I can't, Trucy, alright?" Apollo's voice rose slightly, and Trucy turned to leave.

"Take care of the Agency, ok Polly?" She asked, and he nodded.

It was five minutes after Trucy had left, and Apollo still couldn't shake the thought of Daryan and Klavier _together_. He rolled the pen up the desk again, watching as it fell back down. Apollo flicked it, eyes following it up and down the length of the desk over and over again.

Apollo didn't feel so happy anymore.

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 **OOPS OO** ** _PS OOPS NOW THEY'RE ALL SAD OOPS BYE HTANKS FOR READIGN_**


	14. Chapter 14

**hey, I wanted to start off this chapter saying thanks to all of the people who favorited, followed, and reviewed. You guys are altogether too good to me and my trash story. So I guess this is kind of a thank you, the longest chapter of this thing so far before I sin sin sin sin sin sin sin si n si sn sin si n**

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Apollo squinted in the sunlight, nearly cursing and trying to one handedly adjust the brightness on his phone.

This was what he got for riding his bike everywhere. He _knew_ that he should have learned how to drive- not that he could afford a car, but maybe the knowledge would have helped in the future. He needed _somewhere_ to go from here.

Apollo lifted his phone higher, comparing the address on it to the one on the side of the house. The plate on the side of the house had taken ages to locate mind you, was it the new style to blend your address in with the rest of the house?

Truth be told, Apollo felt really weird standing here, in the incredibly luxurious part of LA. This was where all of the celebrities lived, _not_ where the fresh-out-of-law-school lawyers lived. He never thought he'd _see_ this part of town, let alone stand in it and visit someone there.

The thought only solidified the feeling that this was a _bad_ idea. Apollo knew that he shouldn't have let Klavier talk him into visiting his house, but hey, what could go wrong? This was supposed to be a relaxing date, just watching movies together at Klavier's house. Klavier was letting Apollo choose the movies, and he definitely had some ideas.

The addresses on his phone and the side of the house matched up, and it turned out Apollo had the right house. He breathed in deeply. Today was going to be _relaxing-_ no weird past relationships, no press, no bosses dashing around the agency asking about rings and suits and atmosphere.

That last part was a fairly recent development, courtesy of one _amazing_ dinner date on Monday night. Mr. Wright definitely thought he stood a chance, and had taken to asking Apollo his opinion on every last detail of the proposal- only to ignore everything Apollo said and decide on the opposite of his advice. Apollo had to admit though, it was endearing, in its own unique way.

Trucy had found out of course, subtlety and Mr. Wright were oil and water. She fell in love with the idea just as Apollo had, and the two of them were coaching Mr. Wright to ace the bar exam. The poor man was subjected to a classic study schedule, composed of all-nighters, takeout, and lots and lots of coffee. Apollo laughed at the sight, loudly announcing how _glad_ he was to be _done_ with all of this- after which Mr. Wright had some friendly suggestions about where to stick his attorney's badge.

Apollo smiled at the memory, as he wheeled his bike up Klavier's driveway. It was a nice shade of grey, sloping upwards around a small front garden. The house looked pretty, but imposingly big, the type of thing Apollo would admire from afar and then laugh at how impossible of a dream it was.

He reached the front door- er, thing, and wondered what to do. It was an intricate thing, curly designs made out of metal that guarded the entrance to a courtyard. Through it, Apollo could see the actual door to Klavier's house, past curving walls and slabs traced with turf.

That, of course, didn't answer the question of where to leave his bike. Apollo looked around, finally deciding to just press the doorbell (trying not to drop his phone all the while), and wait.

That began the awkward period of silence, where Apollo wondered if the doorbell had worked, but didn't want to press it again and irritate Klavier. He shifted back and forth restlessly, changing his grip on his bike a few times. What was taking so long?

That, of course, was when Apollo realized that the gate-door-thing was unlocked. Of course. He leaned his bike against the wall, thinking that he could ask Klavier where to put it later. Apollo entered the courtyard, wincing at the squeaks of the door as he closed it behind him.

"Apollo!" Apollo looked up at Klavier's voice, but was only able to see a blur of movement otherwise. " _Achtung,_ look out!"

Something big and warm knocked the wind out of Apollo, throwing him to the ground. He groaned and tried to lift his head to see what was going on, and was brought face-to-face with a tall golden retriever.

"Ach!" He heard Klavier squeak. "Down, down!"

"I am!" Apollo let his head drop to the ground, defeated.

Klavier laughed heartily, seizing hold of the collar and dragging the dog back. "Not you, Herr Forehead. Sorry, by the way. She's been jumpy ever since…" He got a look on his face, as though he was reevaluating his words. "ever since she moved in with me. It's a big change, ja? I still haven't replaced her old tags."

"W-" Apollo began to ask who her original owner was, but judging by Klavier's reluctance to mention a name, he didn't want to ask.

"Ach, don't die on me now, Herr Forehead!" Klavier was leaning down, stretching his hand out to Apollo. He was smiling warmly, as though Apollo was the best thing he'd seen all day.

Apollo took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled up, brushing off his clothes quickly. "Thanks. Uh, where do I put my-?" Apollo gestured to the bike, still leaning against the gateway.

"Ach, just leave it outside, ja?" Klavier suggested, motioning for Apollo to follow him inside.

They walked through the front door, dog trotting at their heels, and Klavier laughed at Apollo's expression of amazement. "It's nice, ja?"

"Probably the nicest house I've ever been in," Apollo grumbled, and Klavier laughed again.

"Care for a tour?" Klavier held out his hand to Apollo again, and Apollo rolled his eyes and took it.

Apollo's amazement didn't wane for the entire tour, a lengthy affair due to the sheer _size_ of the house. Klavier blushingly called it self-indulgence, he didn't _need_ a big house like this, but didn't know what else to do with himself.

"Ach!" He said, as they stood at the top of the stairs after they finished touring the second floor. His phone had began ringing, a tinny version of _Guilty Love_ that echoed through the floors. "Sorry, I have to take this. Last minute concert, ja?"

"I liked it better when you retired from this thing." Apollo muttered, remembering the one Gavinners concert he had been to. Between the multi-colored strobe lights, blaring music, and out-of-the-blue murder case, he had gotten a killer headache the morning after.

"Musicians don't retire, Herr Forehead. They stop when they no longer have music left in them." Klavier recited, leaning in to kiss Apollo on the cheek before leaving to take the call.

It only took a matter of seconds for Apollo to begin to feel weird, standing alone in Klavier Gavin's house. The room was silent, save for the muffled snippets of conversation he could hear through the door- not that he was eavesdropping.

Apollo walked over to a plushy chair in the hallway, sinking into it and sighing. Klavier had said that anything in his house was Apollo's to use no matter what. Times like these, he really was jealous of Klavier. He didn't think he would be able to do the job of a rockstar, but the perks certainly were amazing.

The phone call was taking awhile, and Apollo cracked an eye open again. He looked around the room more carefully now, taking note of everything in his boredom. He could hear the patter of the dog somewhere else in the house. The curly pattern on the railways of the stairs matched the one that had been on the gate. Apollo was looking for something, _anything_ to hold his attention.

His gaze fell on a picture frame, stood on a table. Frankly, he wasn't sure how he'd missed it before, though it almost felt like Klavier didn't want it to be noticed, the way it was positioned.

Apollo stood again and walked towards it, picking it up to examine it more closely. His heart skipped a beat when he realized what it was a picture of, and he would have traded anything to be bored again.

Daryan and Klavier were standing together, much to closely for Apollo's comfort. Daryan's arm was slung tight around Klavier and they were laughing, as though they'd heard the best joke. Apollo felt a small pang when he recognized the genuine look on Klavier's face, the one he wore when he was legitimately happy. He shut his eyes. As long as Klavier was happy.

That still didn't change the fact that the portrait was oddly close to his imaginings of the couple.

"Ach, ja." Apollo jumped, hearing footsteps that could only be Klavier approaching from behind. "I also have a picture of Kristoph in my bedroom. I… I don't have the heart to take them down just yet." The man almost sounded bashful.

"No, that's-" Apollo set the picture frame down. "That's fine. I understand."

"It's better left in the past," Klavier agreed quietly, spinning a ring on his finger.

Klavier met Apollo's eyes again, though his new smile looked like a lot of work. "Time to watch a movie, ja?"

"Or eight." Apollo snorted, happy to forget the previous subject and follow Klavier to the media room.

" _Was?"_ Klavier asked, grabbing for the remote and seating himself in one of the reclining armchairs.

"You've never seen Harry Potter, have you?" Apollo asked, and Klavier covered his eyes and groaned.

"Ach, you all will be the death of me. Herr Edgeworth is also nagging me, about Steel Samurai and the million and one spinoffs."

"Steel Samurai's good too," Apollo said, much to Klavier's dismay, "but today we're watching Harry Potter."

"This is what I get for letting you pick the movie." Klavier grumbled, moving to the search bar to find the first movie.

His face softened though, with the first few bars of the soundtrack. "Music's nice," Klavier grudgingly admitted, and Apollo smirked.

It wasn't too much later when their positions had shifted, with Apollo pressed into Klavier's chest and lightly dozing off. His shirt was soft, giving way to Apollo's cheek so that he could feel every breath Klavier took. The man was warm, and smelled like a mixture of nice things that Apollo couldn't even pinpoint. All he knew was that he liked it, in the shadows of Klavier's media room with Harry Potter playing.

Klavier himself did end up liking the films, with new commentary with every event. Particularly devious twists reduced him to garbled German, and he hummed along to the music with annoyingly perfect pitch. At any rate, he watched movies with such a level of noise that Apollo made a mental note to be careful watching movies with him for the first time.

"It's odd," Klavier mused, as the fourth film loaded. "it feels ridiculous that their world is terrorized by a name, yet I can't say I don't understand it."

Apollo blinked, lifting his head from Klavier's chest. "Yeah." All he could think about were Kristoph and Daryan, people he was afraid to mention, people whose names nearly sent him into a state of cardiac arrest.

"Names are a powerful thing," Klavier muttered mostly to himself, playing idly with a bit of Apollo's hair. "could you imagine, though? Calling someone we know 'He Who Must Not Be Named'."

Apollo laughed. "I can think of a few people. It's better than 'sir', or 'Mr. Gavin', at any rate."

"Now _I'm_ curious, Apollo Justice." Klavier leaned over him, blonde locks brushing against his face. The prosecutor's smirk grew. "Do you talk about all of your coworkers behind their back?"

Apollo snorted, reminded of their phone conversation. It felt so long ago, and yet…

"Only the ones long gone." Apollo replied, his voice a bit hoarse. He thought he was taking the question more seriously than it had been intended, but Klavier merely nodded as though he understood.

"Our He Who Must Not Be Named _is_ long gone," he said firmly, and his fist clenched around Apollo's hair. "he's gone forever."

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 **apollo justice is a filthy potterhead pass it on**

 **thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

**aaaaand I'm back! With a short chapter, sorry. enjoy!**

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 _Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz._

Apollo woke up with a start and blinked slightly, trying to discern what the sudden rumbling noise was. It sounded like a ringtone, but it was too dark for an alarm. 7 am _definitely_ didn't look as dark as this.

Apollo rolled over, blinking at the light of his phone screen. It was a ringtone, so either someone was calling him or that Farmville thing Trucy had downloaded was bothering him again. Didn't that thing understand what "notifications off" meant?

The ringtone looped again, so he fumbled for it, picking up and pressing it to his ear. "H-hello?"

"Apollo!" The voice on the other end yelped, thick and unrecognizable at first. "I- _gott,_ I didn't think you'd pick up- I-"

"Slow down," He mumbled, rubbing his sleep crusted eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I-" He heard the voice take a deep, shuddering breath, and that was when he realized the person on the other end was crying.

The recognition fell into place quickly after that. "K-Klavier?" Apollo sat up. "You ok?"

Klavier sniffled. "Ja- don't listen to me, I'm _fine,_ ja."

"You don't sound too good." Apollo said. "What- nightmare or something?"

"Something like that." Klavier breathed. "I'll be fine, ja?"

"I thought you said you already were." Apollo didn't need his bracelet to tell if someone was lying. Really, at this point, all of this felt more like a particularly insane dream- Klavier Gavin, his fake boyfriend, was calling him at 3 am, sobbing and insisting that he was _fine,_ although he clearly wasn't. Had Apollo even seen him crying before? Now that he thought about it… through Daryan betraying him, Kristoph threatening him, through his brother and best friend using him to commit crimes, Klavier's eyes had remained dry. He was almost like a statue, tilting his head upwards, stoic and calm. If that was breaking now… "Hang on, I'll be over in 10."

"Nein!" Klavier nearly shrieked, sounding as though he'd been electrocuted. "Nein, nein, I- I'm _fine,_ I'm _alright,_ it's _nothing_ -"

"It obviously isn't." Apollo was already pulling on his socks, discarded on the floor next to his bed. He shifted his shoulder to support the phone, continuing. "Klavier, I'm here for you, that's the point of this entire relationship. I'll be there in 10 minutes."

He hung up before Klavier could say anything else about it, mentally kicking himself for what he'd just said. _The point of this entire relationship?_ Really, Apollo? They didn't _have_ a relationship, they had an awkward friendship after Apollo jailed everyone Klavier cared about, and then drunkenly slept with him. Real caring, Apollo. That's _definitely_ the type of relationship that justifies biking over at 3 am.

Apollo was trying very hard not to think of himself as Klavier's boyfriend, but between the media and the Wrights' teasing the entire world was treating him as such. It was a living nightmare- he had to deal with the public parts of it, then didn't get the private parts that made it all worth it. It hurt so much to go on dates, telling himself that he was Klavier's boyfriend, when he knew, deep down, that he wasn't. Smile and wave for the cameras, try and pretend like you know what you're doing, do it all because _Klavier_ is trying to protect _you,_ Apollo. It made him feel helpless. Klavier was pretending because he wanted to help Apollo, and Apollo was pretending because he actually wanted to be Klavier's boyfriend.

He stood up and grabbed a jacket from his closet, the type of bold red thing Trucy poked fun at him for wearing. Apollo tucked his phone into the pocket and zipped it, not bothering to change out of his pajamas. He was going to help Klavier. Klavier needed Apollo the Caring Boyfriend right now, so Apollo the Caring Boyfriend he would be. He may not actually be Klavier's boyfriend, but if it made Klavier feel better (and Apollo, too, but he wasn't the point here), then he'd do anything. Anything.

If Apollo was the first thing Klavier thought of when he needed help, Apollo needed to live up to it. He needed to help. Apollo buckled his helmet under his chin, mounting his bike. He was going to Klavier, whether Klavier liked it or not.

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 **thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16

**ayy lmao here comes chap 16 are u ready**

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Klavier answered the door almost immediately.

"You actually came." He mumbled, staring at the ground. His hair was strewn across his back and face, tangled and unkempt. He stood slumped over, as though he was about to topple **.** Apollo thought he would have been surprised, but he seemed too… _listless_ to give Apollo more than a glance.

"Wh-what?" Apollo tried to meet his eyes. He couldn't help but notice they were red and puffy. "Well- yeah, of course I did! Now let me in!"

"It's 3 am, schatz!" Klavier snapped, looking up at him. "You shouldn't have to deal with this now!"

"Klavier, I'm doing this because I have to! I'm doing this because- because-" Apollo tried to force the words out of his mouth, _I love you,_ but they were sticking in his throat, he couldn't speak. Klavier was falling apart, he couldn't be pushing his feelings right now, "because I care about you. I came for a reason and I'm not leaving until it's done." He sounded far more confident than he felt. Thanks, Chords of Steel lessons.

Klavier sighed. "Schatz…" His hand combed through a fringe of hair.

"Come in." Klavier stepped out of the doorway, and Apollo followed him inside. They somehow ended up in Klavier's kitchen, where he continued. "Ach, I don't know what you were _thinking,_ biking over here at 3 am. Can I get you anything?"

Apollo shook his head. "Klavier, I'm not here for me, I'm here for you." Klavier was sorely underestimating Apollo if he thought he'd be sidetracked like this. Apollo was expecting this, sure, he _knew_ Klavier would sidestep his questions and focus on Apollo. That was just Klavier. Tonight he couldn't let that happen, though, tonight he was here for Klavier.

"I know," Klavier said quietly. "And that's why I didn't want you to come at all."

Apollo climbed up on a barstool, draping his jacket over it and hooking his feet into a rung. "Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"Ach, just a nightmare." Klavier waved his hand, as though admonishing Apollo's worries. Apollo wasn't convinced.

"What about?" He tried to ask conversationally, as Klavier positioned himself across from him. Klavier leaned over the granite island, arms folded on top of it and blonde hair dusting it from above.

"It was more of a memory, really. Recalling painful things." Klavier looked down, sighing. Apollo nearly clenched his fists. Klavier was being as bad as some witnesses. Apollo knew that he didn't particularly _want_ to talk, but he had to for Apollo to help him.

Klavier appeared to get the message, and he grudgingly continued. "You remember our conversation yesterday, ja?" Apollo nodded, although not knowing exactly which Klavier had in mind.

"It was about our 'He Who Must Not Be Named'." Klavier said quietly. Apollo's blood turned to ice. He'd been afraid of this.

"You can talk to me about that!" He said rather suddenly. Apollo couldn't tell if he was angry, desperate, something else, or all of the above. He almost couldn't believe this, it was so simple. He _knew_ Kristoph, he could talk about this. "Klavier, I worked for him! He was my boss, he used me too, I can understand anything you want to tell me about-" Apollo stopped dead in his tracks. Was Klavier wiping his face? "Klavier?"

"I-I'm fine, schatz." He said quickly, though his voice was shuddering.

"Klavier..." Apollo's voice dropped. "He hurt me, too." He understood what Klavier was going through, he had these nightmares too, of that _laugh,_ the glint in those glasses, the-

"I _know_." Klavier's voice rose as he shook, cupping his face in his hands. "That's the _problem_ , schatz. Everything happened because of _me_."

"Huh?" Apollo was taken aback. It wasn't as though he was expecting logic, but this was _really_ insane. What did Klavier even mean?

"Phoenix lost his badge and seven years of his life, Trucy and Vera lost their fathers, their only family, Zak and Drew lost their lives, you..." Klavier let his voice trail off, wiping more tears from his eyes. "Don't you see, schatz? Don't you see how this all happened because of me? I accused Phoenix of forging evidence, I accepted Kristoph's explanation without a second thought, I didn't think for a _single second_ that something might be wrong-"

"Klavier, none of that was your fault! You were being controlled!" Apollo interrupted, his fists falling to the table as he leaned forwards.

"I shouldn't have been!" Klavier copied Apollo, matched in ferocity. "I trusted him, I trusted Daryan, I allowed myself to be led and played over and over again like nothing! I suspected them, I should have done _something, anything-"_

"Klavier, I-" Apollo drew back, worried he'd aggravated the situation. "I knew Kristoph, I understand what he could be like. It's near impossible to fight him, and it hurts every second you do."

"Schatz, you shouldn't _have_ to know that, I should have figured this out long ago!" Klavier's hands tugged at his hair, tangling themselves in frizzed blonde curls. "I waited for years, I waited for _you,_ a new attorney, to take the first step _for me_ , to be horribly _brave_ like you were- gott, I don't deserve you at _all_ -"

"Klavier…" Apollo said, just trying to make him stop talking. Apollo's heart was pounding; everything he said just seemed to make it worse. He needed to convince Klavier that this wasn't his fault- because it _wasn't_ , no matter how much he thought he could have stopped it. Kristoph was a manipulative bastard; someone trusting and genuine like Klavier didn't stand a chance with him.

"I just… _gott,_ no one had to be hurt," Klavier said in a hollow voice, shrinking into a vulnerable position. Apollo jumped at the sight, slipping off of the bar stool and walking around the island to wrap his arms around Klavier. "I-I feel _horrible,_ schatz, I feel like a puppet."

"Just..." Apollo leaned into Klavier, who was standing rigid as though Apollo wasn't there at all. "do you want to go back to bed?"

Klavier tucked his chin into Apollo's hair, dampening it with tears. His hands gripped Apollo's shoulder blades, warm and shaking. Apollo nuzzled his face into Klavier's chest, letting Klavier drape himself over him. _It's ok,_ Apollo thought. _You can fall apart. I'm here to help you put yourself back together._

It was silent except for the low hum of the fridge, and dark except for the slivers of light from the window. Apollo could see fragments of their shadow, stretched caricatures of himself holding Klavier. He looked more stable in the reflection then he felt.

Klavier twitched, moving again as Apollo felt his chin dig into the top of his head. It took him a second to piece together that this was a nod, Klavier agreeing to his question from earlier. He wanted to go back to bed.

Apollo pulled away to a soft whimper from Klavier, interlocking their hands and pulling him towards his bedroom. It was almost like a grotesque parody of the intro to a sex scene- Apollo leading the way to the bedroom with Klavier behind him, needily following for the warmth of contact.

Apollo switched on the lights when they reached the bedroom, a large room Klavier had glossed over on the tour. _It's where I sleep, ja?_ He'd said shortly, moving on before Apollo could take more than a glimpse inside.

It was as luxurious as you'd expect. A plump chaise was tucked into one corner with a bookshelf, and a tall lamp leaning over it. There was an iridescent cubic chandelier hanging from the ceiling, shining over the entirety of the room. A TV was perched on a cabinet across from the bed, probably costing more than what Apollo made in half a year. Apollo could see a door to a balcony across from the TV, two clear window-doors with a thin white curtain across. The bed was the centerpiece of the room, though, plushy and a chic shade of black on top of a contrasting cream rug.

Apollo tugged Klavier towards the bathroom, hardly paying attention to his confused glances. "We have to wash you up, your face is a mess," he explained. It was ridiculous. He'd slept with the man, broken his life apart, and this was the first time he'd seen Klavier looking anything but pristine. Celebrities really were inhuman, looking plastically perfect at any given moment- any moment but this, that is.

Apollo switched the tap of the sink on, playing with the two and scorching and freezing his hand in the space of two seconds. It finally reached a good temperature (or not, at this point Apollo's hand was so numb he couldn't tell), and he lifted a cupped hand full of it to Klavier's face. Apollo clumsily washed the tear tracks away, getting more water on the floor and around the sink than on Klavier's face. Klavier smiled at Apollo's effort, and Apollo grabbed the towel with a laugh.

"I'm trying," he excused himself as he dabbed at Klavier's face, "ok?"

"Ok," Klavier said very quietly, and Apollo leaned in to peck him on the nose.

"Now you need some sleep," Apollo said it too cheerfully, but Klavier didn't seem to mind. He followed Apollo back to the bedroom again, and let himself be eased onto the bed. Apollo tucked the duvet tightly around his shoulders, pulling away to admire his handiwork.

Klavier stirred, looking up at Apollo. "You're leaving?"

It was obviously supposed to be a stoic, businesslike question, just for Klavier to get his bearings on the situation, but it came out as something entirely different. Klavier's eyebrows creased and his eyes did that widening thing that made Apollo's heart beat funny, and he couldn't refuse Klavier like this. He knew that Klavier didn't want his pity, nor was he trying for it, but goddamnit, he couldn't leave Klavier alone like this. He couldn't leave Klavier after he called Apollo at 3 am, choked with tears and hating himself in the dark.

Much against his better judgment, Apollo shook his head. "No."

Apollo laid down next to Klavier, tugging away some of the blanket to cover himself. He felt like it was the right thing to do- at the very least, he could be there for Klavier if he woke up again. Besides, even if he couldn't make himself say it out loud, he _loved_ Klavier, and he wanted nothing more right now than to fall asleep with Klavier in his arms.

Apollo pulled Klavier against him, face pressed into his chest. His legs tangled themselves into Klaviers', and his hands met around Klavier's torso. Klavier didn't resist, leaning into Apollo with his eyes closed.

Things were comfortable for a while, as Apollo dozed with the weight of Klavier's head on his chest. Klavier was as warm and sweet-smelling as always, and it was almost too easy to fall asleep with something so comfortable pressed against Apollo.

"I'm still scared." Klavier mumbled into his chest.

Apollo jolted awake again. He nearly didn't catch it.

"I'm still scared of him, Apollo. I can't hate him because I'm too scared, I'm too scared of him. If I could do all of this again, I wouldn't be able to fight him, and I _hate_ myself so much for being so damn _scared_ -" Klavier sounded broken again, rambling on as though Apollo couldn't hear.

Apollo really didn't like where this train of thought was going. Klavier had been ripped apart by everything that had happened lately, yet he still insisted that it was his fault. He didn't know what to say anymore, he couldn't think of anything he hadn't tried or wouldn't make things worse than they already were.

Apollo tucked his head closer to Klavier's, kissing the top of his head through all of his thick, curly hair. "Shh, it's ok. It really is."

Apollo didn't know what he was doing, but he was hoping for a miracle here. He didn't care about boundaries, or fake relationships, or relatives in jail, or anything right now. He just wanted for Klavier to be ok, and he wasn't leaving until that was true. Apollo began to hum quietly, no particular melody in mind, pressed up against Klavier. Apollo could feel Klavier's limbs go slack against him, melting into his arms. It felt nice to curl up around him, warm and inviting. He was concrete, realer than any of the things imagined in the shadows.

Klavier's breathing slowed more with every passing minute, and Apollo was beginning to drift off himself. He had been planning to leave after Klavier was ok, but… it was so calm in Klavier's bedroom, dark and quiet. Klavier was soft and warm, and Apollo could feel himself fall asleep.

He didn't do anything to stop it. He'd promised Klavier, after all. The morning would come, and he'd be there waiting for it with Klavier.

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 **rip everything**

 **thanks for reading**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'd like to start out this chapter with a few synonymous sentences**

 **pain. suffering. the prosecutor in aa6 isn't klavier gavin. sadness. misery. I want an apollo justice sequel.**

 **thank you for your time**

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Apollo's first thought, waking up with Klavier in his arms, was that he could get used to this.

Klavier's arms were wound around his waist, and Apollo was fairly certain the man had just clung to him all night. He hadn't moved much, if at all, with the only recognizable changes on his face. It was clear and serene, calmer than Apollo had ever seen Klavier's expression before. Soft strands of blonde hair were falling into his face, dusting his nose and quivering with every breath he took. The sunlight streaming through the window almost made it look like his hair was glowing, caught in the morning rays. Apollo smiled to himself. He didn't think he'd loved a scene more in his life.

His thoughts turned to last night, though, and he inhaled sharply. Klavier had been so… hell, Apollo didn't even know what. Most of what he could remember was panic and worry, waking up at 3 am and trying to convince Klavier that he could make it through the night. That it'd be all right. He felt hypocritical now; trying to convince Klavier of things he didn't even know himself.

Apollo gently navigated Klavier's arms away from him, squirming out of the prosecutor's admittedly tight grip. He repositioned Klavier on the bed, still asleep, making quiet shushing noises as though it would keep him asleep. Apollo breathed a sigh of relief as he stood upright. He had been sure the process would wake Klavier up. He was hungry though, and he was sure that Klavier was going to be too when he woke up.

What had Klavier said during the tour of the place, again? Anything in the house was Apollo's to use? Yeah, he felt like he owed Klavier at least a breakfast for this whole mess of a relationship, including that disastrous morning after when Klavier had woken him up and driven him to work. If Klavier could take care of Apollo in his own house, then Apollo could do vice-versa. It was only fair.

Apollo tugged his elbow over his head, stretching through his yawns. He really looked around the room for the first time, now that he was seeing it in the daylight. The chaise had a guitar tossed on it, with pages of what looked like music scattered around. There was something else on the bookshelf, too, what looked like a facedown picture frame that could only be the picture of Kristoph that Klavier had mentioned on the tour. There wasn't any laundry visible, either Klavier stress cleaned or he was just naturally cleaner than Apollo- Apollo wouldn't put either past Klavier, really.

The biggest thing Apollo had missed last night, though, was something tucked next to the TV on the cabinet. He walked closer, frowning. He had to be seeing this wrong.

Nope, Apollo had seen right: the plush badger from their first date was seated lovingly next to the TV, with what looked like the remains of the flower crown from their second on its head. Had it been anyone else, Apollo would have laughed at the sentiment, but coming from Klavier this was adorable. He felt a rush of happiness at the realization that Klavier probably enjoyed those dates as much as he did. Could it really be that Klavier loved Apollo, too?

Apollo closed his eyes. He hated this internal debate. It was like the end of a horribly long and ridiculously hard test: at this point, you just didn't care if you were right or not anymore, you just wanted it to be over. Apollo hated overanalyzing every moment they spent together, every reaction Klavier had to him. He knew he'd just end up skewing it in his favor, anyways; he was so in love with the man. Really, it was better not to risk embarrassing himself. He'd done enough damage by getting drunk and sleeping with Klavier.

Apollo jerked out of his reverie with a sudden sound, and the door rattled slightly. He glanced over at Klavier, who was thankfully still asleep, and his heart raced at the unfamiliar situation. What the-

Apollo pressed his finger to his forehead, thinking. Was that _scratching?_

Oh, right. Klavier's dog. Vongole. She was probably panicking, she hadn't seen Klavier since last night and there was a near stranger in the house.

Apollo opened the door as quietly as he could, smiling when the dog attempted to flatten him again.

"Whoa, whoa, good morning, girl," he rubbed her head affectionately. "Or should I call you fräulein, since you're Klavier's dog?"

Vongole didn't seem to mind, panting and wagging her tail gleefully. Apollo tried to usher her towards the door.

"Oh, hey, you probably need something to eat too, right?" he suggested as he closed the door behind them, before realizing he was talking to a dog. Great.

Vongole dropped on her front two legs, tail still wagging. Apollo couldn't figure out for the life of him what she wanted, but he supposed food was a safe guess. Dogs were always hungry, right?

Apollo made it downstairs and began checking Klavier's fridge, looking for something to feed the dog. Vongole had taken a liking to him, apparently, or she was just lonely and bored and ready to follow around the first person she saw. Apollo would take it, either way.

"Uh," Apollo took a packet of hot dogs out. "This is probably overkill, but I don't know what else to give you. Here," he tossed the hot dog in the bowl with a loud clank, and Vongole was on it in seconds.

The hot dog was gone almost as quickly as Apollo had found it, and Vongole regarded him again with newfound respect. Food really was the quickest way to a person's- er, _dog's,_ heart.

Apollo knelt down to rub her head again, when a glint in her fur caught his eye. Right, the tags. He'd been meaning to check them after Klavier had mentioned not replacing them, treating the subject of Vongole's previous owner like it was a slur. It would have been rude to immediately check who the previous owner was, but now that Apollo and Vongole were alone-

Apollo flipped over the tag, and it felt like his stomach had dropped to the floor. Yep. Just who he'd expected. _Vongole- Property of Kristoph Gavin._

Why was it that reading the words _property of Kristoph Gavin_ sent shivers down his spine?

It almost felt funny, in a way. Apollo's previous boss was many things- a murderer, a liar, an abusive asshole- but he'd never struck Apollo as a dog person. Yet here Apollo was, crouched on the floor with Kristoph's golden retriever. Of all the unexpected things to come from Kristoph Gavin, Apollo had to say that he liked this surprise best. Not that there was competition, of course.

Apollo's stomach growled, and he straightened again. Time to get some food for him and Klavier. Apollo could do lightly charred pancakes, he supposed that would have to do.

A quick glance at the microwave display told him that it was 10:21 am, and _way_ after the time him and Klavier were supposed to be at work. Apollo sighed. No point in trying to make it now. Mr. Wright would probably understand.

Apollo fished his phone out of his jacket pocket, still slung on the bar stool from last night. He dialed Mr. Wright's number, holding his phone to his ear with his shoulder as he searched the fridge again.

"Apollo!" Trucy's voice interrupted the dial tone with a cheer. "You're alive!"

"Yep, still kicking." Apollo took some eggs out of the fridge. Was it three or four? He could never remember. "Truce, could you pass your dad?"

"Uh huh," Trucy bounded off, and Apollo could hear crackly footsteps and snippets of a conversation. _He wants you- thought he decided to forget us after all- silly daddy-_

"Hey Apollo," Mr. Wright said, and judging by his tone he had thankfully developed the happy-go-lucky awake attitude he grew every day around 9 or 10 am. He didn't do mornings very well. "What's up?"

"I'm calling in sick today," Apollo said, cracking the eggs into the bowl.

"Apollo, the bar exam's coming up! Who's gonna be my study buddy now?" Mr. Wright mock whined.

"Why don't you try your boyfriend? Oh, yeah, speaking of which, can you tell Mr. Edgeworth that Klavier's sick too?" Apollo stared into the bowl. He'd gotten everything, right? Flour, eggs, sugar, milk-

"Both of you are sick? Sounds fishy, Apollo," Mr. Wright dropped his voice to a stage whisper, teasing, as usual.

"I'm taking care of him. You know how prosecutors can be." Apollo redirected the conversation to the one Mr. Wright _wanted_ to be having, and the happy sigh on the other end told him he'd done well.

"They're stubborn people, alright." Mr. Wright said affectionately, and Apollo bit his lip to keep from snickering. Although, to be honest, he was grateful to Miles Edgeworth, because love-struck Phoenix Wright was a thousand times better than cynical Phoenix Wright.

"Mr. Wright, I've got to make breakfast," Apollo tried to cue the end of the conversation, stirring the batter. Mr. Wright cleared his throat.

"Right. And I've got to study." The way he said it, it sounded more like a prison sentence than an activity. Apollo couldn't say he felt differently about studying, but _hah,_ he was really out of the woods with that one.

"Good luck," Apollo snorted, remembering the near-breakdown state he'd left Mr. Wright in yesterday. He was pretty sure the flashcards were tearstained, though he didn't want to bring it up. Studying was _hard._

"I don't need luck, I'm Phoenix Wright," Mr. Wright said smugly, and Apollo rolled his eyes and set the phone down. Just because Mr. Wright had superhuman luck didn't mean he had to rub it in everyone elses' faces. That was just rude.

Apollo busied himself quickly, picking up a frying pan and trying to find the right knob for the stove. He was fairly certain he'd burned down half the house by the time he found the right one, but the front of the stove finally crackled to life a minute later. It all felt so comfortably domestic, making breakfast in Klavier's house at 10 am.

Yep, Apollo could _definitely_ get used to this.

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 **whelp thanks for reading fam**


	18. Chapter 18

**wow how long has it been? 2 weeks? I'm really sorry, midterms kicked my ass and this is the first second I've got to myself in a while. anyways, here's chapter 18!**

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Apollo had been able to fry half the batter before he was interrupted, and he considered that a gargantuan improvement from his usual mornings at the Wright Anything Agency.

He didn't know how long it had been, only that Vongole had shuffled off somewhere with a chew toy and he had been the only one in the room for awhile. That was before there were indistinct shuffling noises coming from the bedroom, clumsy, tired movements from what could only be Klavier.

"Good morning!" Apollo called, stepping away from the stove for a second.

Klavier appeared in the doorway, staring at the ground. "Ach. So that wasn't a dream."

"Last night? No," Apollo replied, returning to the pancakes.

"I'm sorry." Klavier said. "I'm sorry that you had to get up and come over at 3, and I'm sorry that you had to deal with me like that."

Apollo bit back a sigh. Klavier was faking it again, now strong enough to put the mask back on for Apollo. Goddamnit, was he ever going to realize that he didn't _need_ it around Apollo?

Apollo shook his head vehemently. "Klavier, I always will. I don't ever want you to be alone if something like that happens again, understood?"

Apollo could hear Klavier taking a breath to reply, so he pressed on. "I grew up without parents, Klavier. I know what it's like to not have a family, and I wouldn't wish it on _anyone,_ especially not you."

Klavier looked up. "Danke, Apollo."

"You can sit down, by the way," Apollo gestured towards the bar with his chin. "Pancakes are almost ready."

Klavier laughed. "A boyfriend and a private chef. You're a package deal!"

Apollo laughed with him, breathing more easily now that Klavier was making jokes again. It felt a little more normal, and a little less like faking it to get by. "Hey, um, Klavier?"

"Ja?"

"Not to go straight back to that subject, but, uh…" Apollo tried to focus on sliding the pancake onto the plate, trying to focus on anything but the words he'd undoubtedly regret. "Do you have depression?"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Apollo began mentally kicking himself. Apollo, you idiot, you don't just _ask_ people if they have depression, now he's going to lose it again, you'll see-

"Ja." Klavier sounded less uneasy or offended than Apollo had initially thought he would, and Apollo breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know if fake stability was better or worse than collapsing again, but he'd take what he could get.

"I used to, at least. Nowadays it's better. You might remember how I reacted to Kristoph's incarceration, ja?" Apollo turned to him with a plateful of pancakes, shaking his head. "Ach. I took a leave of absence, and didn't speak to anyone for a while. That was when I started medication, and I've been healing ever since."

Klavier stuck a fork into the pancakes, taking a rather large bite. "These are good, schatz!"

Apollo barely heard him, drowning in his nonchalant words. Klavier had been depressed? He'd collapsed after the Misham trial? He was on medication? All of this was news to Apollo, and he hated that. He'd been in love with Klavier all this time, never even suspecting that something might be wrong- he felt like a failure of a fake boyfriend. It wasn't as though he'd been particularly close to Klavier then- they were friends, and Apollo did notice that Klavier was absent for a while after the Misham trial, but he didn't think much of it. He suspected that it was just him. Hell, if their positions were reversed, he'd _still_ be avoiding Klavier.

Then there was Klavier's explanation. It was too easy, too impersonal. It was like reading an article about Klavier's depression- he got an emotionally detached summary of the facts, but it wasn't enough for him. Apollo was the eyewitness, who needed the gritty, real version he had originally seen. He could tell Klavier was trying to close himself off from last night.

"Schatz?" Klavier leaned in, syrup dripping from his fork. "Schatz, I'm better now. You needn't worry."

"You weren't better last night," Apollo said quickly, getting back to work on frying the remaining pancake batter.

"Nights can be hard sometimes." Klavier's voice was quieter now. "Being alone."

"I could always move in." Apollo jumped to suggest it. _Please-_

"Nein, I won't ask that of you." Klavier said in between bites of pancake. "You already have me as a boyfriend, you don't need me as a housemate."

Apollo took this as a sign to back off. Klavier had been poking fun at their odd relationship, and now he was practically saying it. Apollo was getting too comfortable; dammit, and they weren't actually dating, even if pretending so last night had worked. Klavier needed space, especially now.

Klavier chewed for a bit, thinking. "Hey schatz?"

"Hmm?" Apollo slid another pancake onto a plate, trying not to burn himself.

"Shouldn't we be getting ready for work?" Klavier asked, his brow crinkling. Apollo chuckled to himself, only Klavier would ask _that_ after last night.

"I called in sick. For both of us," He added, when Klavier looked up to object. "I thought you could use some company."

Klavier sighed, breaking eye contact. "I'm _fine,_ schatz, really. That was- it's all in the past, ja?"

Right on cue, Apollo's bracelet tugged at his wrist. He sighed. "Klav-"

"Schatz-"

"C-can we at least talk about this?" Apollo begged, taking a seat next to Klavier. He needed Klavier to let his walls down, and _talk_ to him honestly. He needed some clear-cut answers on this to be able to help in the future. "Please?"

Klavier sighed, looking down. "Ja. You deserve that much, after last night."

Apollo dipped a forkful of pancake in syrup. What to ask? He had so many questions.

He decided to go for a positive one. "I know you had medication, but mentally, how'd you get out of it? The really bad part, I mean. You're better now, right?"

Apollo fought back a groan. He was bad with subjects as sensitive as this, especially when he had no clue how Klavier would react. Any assumption seemed wrong- no, scratch that, anything he _said_ seemed wrong as soon as he said it aloud.

Klavier smiled weakly. "I don't know how I healed as much as I did. Must have been the medication."

Apollo's bracelet squeezed his wrist, and he nearly dropped the fork he was holding. What reason did Klavier have to lie about getting out- well, getting _better_ \- with his depression?

The situation was delicate though, far too delicate for Apollo to accuse Klavier of lying. He'd rather die not knowing the real answer than push Klavier back to where he was last night.

Still… there was always what he'd said earlier. _It's all in the past-_ it sounded familiar to Apollo's ears.

He frowned, considering. He'd heard it somewhere before, he just couldn't place-

Apollo's fork fell to the plate with a clatter. _My last romantic relationship… it was a mistake, ja? Best left in the past where it belongs._

Could that have something to do with this?

"Uh…" Apollo picked up his fork again, trying not to notice Klavier's worried stare. "Kinda off topic, but, ah- what was up with that former romantic relationship you mentioned at the press conference?"

He hoped he wasn't poking where he didn't belong. He'd been wondering things, though, and there were some things you just couldn't ask your boss' teenage daughter.

Klavier only laughed. "Funny you should say that. It's not nearly as off topic as you seem to think."

Apollo made a confused face, so Klavier continued. "It wasn't actually a romantic relationship. Not really."

Apollo's brow only crinkled further, so Klavier kept on going. He was playing with his fork now, moving syrup around his plate. It looked like he was trying to spread it evenly. "Just… how do you tell a scandal-starved media and a yaoi-happy fanbase that he's the brother you never had?"

Apollo stiffened. He had a pretty good idea about who _he_ was, and he didn't like it. Even if it wasn't Daryan, the word _brother_ around Klavier was a ticking time bomb, and he didn't really want to get back into his brother after last night- brother, surrogate brother, any of them, really. Klavier had suffered nearly to the point of hilarity, working through betrayal after betrayal every time him and Apollo met in the courtroom. Apollo needed to understand the situation, though, and maybe explaining it could help Klavier sort it out. Apollo didn't say anything, allowing Klavier to keep on going.

"We didn't love each other, it wasn't like that. Well…" Klavier looked up, chewing on the end of his fork. "I'm nearly certain he had feelings for me, but he didn't push it. I was in shambles after the Gramarye Trial, and he was there to be what I needed."

Klavier had sounded calm up to here, where something broke down in his voice.

Klavier laid his fork down, digging his palms into his eyes. His voice got a little higher, and his shoulders rose with ragged breaths. "How could he kill someone, schatz? What happened?"

At this point Apollo wasn't even sure which _he_ Klavier was talking about, but he didn't know what to say either way. He didn't want to make things worse, but what _did_ someone say to another person in this situation? It was bad enough for the both of them to be murderers, but it was worse that _Apollo_ had been the one proving them guilty. And now they were in a fake relationship, one where Apollo was pushing so hard that Klavier had to tell him to back off. Great. Was there anything he _could_ say?

"It's not your fault," Apollo tried, and this was beginning to sound suspiciously like last night. He couldn't let this get out of hand again.

"You continue to say that, but I-" Klavier shook his head, voice catching. "I'm a coward, I'm too easily led, I'm still _terrified_ of a man behind bars."

He was breathing more heavily now, jaw twitching as though he wanted to look up. Apollo's unblinking eye contact was the only thing holding him in place. "I am not the person you see."

Apollo's hands fell to the table with a clatter, and Klavier winced as the dishes clattered from the shock. Apollo didn't care.

"Well then?!" Apollo asked, planting his hands firmly on the table as though he was back in the courtroom. "Who _are_ you, then? I see a man who put his brother and best friend in jail for his morals. I see a man who can put the courtroom behind him, and stay friendly to the defense no matter what. I see a man who _survived,_ a man that I admire and…" Apollo swallowed, hoping Klavier wouldn't hear the pause. This was too fragile of a situation for a freaking _love confession._ It could wait. "…and a man I would protect with my life. And dammit, Klavier, that includes protecting him from himself like I would if _anyone else_ talked about him like that."

Klavier was looking up at him, an odd combination of admiration and gratitude on his face. He didn't say anything for a bit, and Apollo worried if he'd said the wrong thing. He was being so aggressive, trying to force Klavier into being better, if he made things worse…

"You really…?" Klavier asked, in a gravelly voice.

Apollo nodded, and suddenly his standing position seemed awkward, looking down at Klavier. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh… Y-yeah. Not that I'm hesitating because I don't… really… but because I- just- yeah."

Klavier smiled. It wasn't as brilliant as his usual, which could probably power a city at the very least, but it was the best Apollo had seen in the last 24 hours. It reached his eyes now, and his expression felt more like adoration when he looked at Apollo. "Thank you."

It was impossible not to return Klavier Gavin's smile, and Apollo could feel himself physically relax at the sight of it. He was gorgeous, and _perfect,_ and all it took was one look to make Apollo feel comfortable. How couldn't he see that?

Apollo was starting to realize that they'd been smiling at each other for too long, and he looked down. He could feel himself blushing. "Um. You wanna- um." The word stuck in his throat, so Apollo coughed and cleared it. "If you're feeling better, you wanna do something? We've got the whole day together, after all."

He desperately searched for a distraction, face brightening when he finally found it. "And hey! I'm sure we can find a bootlegged copy of _Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!"_

Klavier looked confused. "I thought there were 8 movies and Fantastic Beasts? We watched all of them, ja?"

"No, this is a stage play!" Apollo explained, grinning.

"We watched that too-"

"Those were the three _Very Potter Musicals!_ This is different!" Apollo added a scandalized tone to his words, as though he couldn't believe Klavier's naivety.

Klavier groaned gamely. "Ach, this is what I get for dating you. Very well."

Apollo hadn't experienced it much, but he could safely say that the rest of the day was the dictionary definition of _déjà vu_. If Apollo closed his eyes, he could almost pretend it was Wednesday again- Klavier felt more like the Klavier that Apollo knew now, and genuinely so. No matter what had happened, Klavier wasn't blaming himself or crying anymore, so things were going well. It seemed like whatever Apollo had said had worked- though for the life of him, Apollo couldn't tell you what he said that worked or what about it that worked. For now, he didn't really care.

Apollo curled up against Klavier, sprawled on the sofa, dozing off to the return of Klavier's energetic commentary. Klavier's shirt smelled the same as it had days ago (despite it being a different shirt), and his erratic breathing relaxed under Apollo's ear. Klavier seemed a little more tentative than earlier, but all it took was a kiss to the jawline to bring his hand to Apollo's.

Apollo squeezed Klavier's hand, giving him a small smile. Klavier met his eyes, returning the smile, and Apollo thought for a moment that maybe everything could turn out alright.

* * *

 **tag urself im the yaoi-happy fanbase**

 **rip I kinda realized that I've been subconciously making the last 4 chapters a lot like one of my fave fanfics. Take it as a homage I guess I'm hopeless**

 **thanks for reading! I'll get back to a normal schedule soon pinky promise**


	19. Chapter 19

**here i go again on my own**

 **goin down the only road ive ever known**

 **enjoy the next day**

* * *

Standing in the Wright Anything Agency the next morning only made Apollo realize that he _really_ needed more vacations.

It should have been impossible for two people to make this much noise, yet here they were. Mr. Wright was muttering the answers to flashcards as he waited for the coffee machine, rumbling as it made his coffee. Trucy was practicing what looked like a new trick, though don't ask Apollo where she got a cat from.

Just looking at Trucy's wrecked half of the room was enough to make Apollo tired again, so he wandered over to Mr. Wright for some more coffee.

"Isn't the test today?" Apollo eyed the hastily scribbled flashcards that were nearly coating the floor now.

"I've just gotta review Constitutional Law one more time." Mr. Wright tried to assure him, flipping through the cards with widened eyes.

"No, last minute review is bad. Trust me, you'll do great." Apollo struggled to remember the words of encouragement from his middle school teachers, but judging by the look on Mr. Wright's face, he'd done something right.

"You're right," Mr. Wright confirmed, "but jeez, it's still scary. Even though I've taken it before."

"Hey, at least you're taking the February test." Apollo said, taking a sip from his mug of coffee. "The July one was _packed."_

It was true. The July examination was just after graduation from law school, so at least Mr. Wright was spared the embarrassment of being around first-time takers. Probably. He was _Mr. Wright,_ after all, so he was probably getting recognized either way.

"Yeah," Mr. Wright agreed again, sloshing his coffee into his mouth. That was when Apollo realized that he looked _different._ A quick scan told him that Mr. Wright had shaved his stubble, and now he was wearing- well, it wasn't a suit, but a polo and jeans were an improvement, that was for sure.

"You look better," Apollo observed, and Mr. Wright snorted into his coffee.

"Thanks," he said, wiping coffee off of his mouth with his sleeve. Old habits die hard, Apollo guessed.

Mr. Wright looked up at the clock, wincing when he saw it. "You can handle the WAA today, right Apollo?"

"Uhhhhhh…" Apollo stared pointedly at Trucy, who had managed to set _something_ on fire, although Apollo really wasn't sure what it was.

"Great! Wish me luck!"

Apollo turned around just in time to watch the door slam behind Mr. Wright, and Trucy was still waving behind him. He sighed. This could be a longer day than usual.

Apollo turned towards Trucy. "Hey, uh, Trucy? Could you not practice magic while I'm the only one at the office? I'm pretty sure I'm flammable."

She _really_ couldn't practice magic tricks when Apollo was the only one at the office, especially not flammable ones. Apollo wasn't even sure if the smoke detector was still working.

Trucy had just opened her mouth to say something back, when Apollo heard something vibrating. Apollo grabbed his phone out of his pocket, motioning for Trucy to wait as he checked his messages.

 _Piano: sry, can't talk today. Swamped w rehearsals for tmmrw._ _L_

Apollo's face fell. This was _really_ going to be a long day, especially if he couldn't talk to Klavier.

"Don't be silly, Polly, we're not going to do magic now! We have more important things to do!" Trucy spun her wand around, and Apollo had a funny feeling that she wasn't talking about paperwork. Or any kind of work.

"Now that Daddy's gone, we need to binge watch the Gavinners music videos!" Trucy cheered, tossing her wand to the side.

"Huh?" Apollo knew that Klavier had a concert tomorrow, especially since he was stuck in rehearsals for it, but what did Trucy even mean?

"Polly, this time you have to be _prepared_ for the concert, _"_ She explained, hands on her hips. "You didn't enjoy the last concert because you couldn't appreciate the _subtlety_."

"I don't think _subtlety_ is supposed to give you a headache," Apollo argued, but nothing could change the fact that he was kind of curious. He'd never really been listening to the lyrics of the Gavinner's songs- not that you could _hear_ them, over the levels of _sheer noise_ \- but now that he knew Klavier a little better, and had even a small taste of what was going on in the band at the time, the lyrics would probably get a lot more interesting. Plus, music videos were always fun, especially with someone as crazy as Klavier at the helm.

"Uh… yeah, sure. Why not?" He asked, and Trucy beamed. She dragged Apollo into his office, and leaned over him to switch screens on his computer, pressing Apollo back into his chair. "We'll watch the greatest hits," she was saying, "since you didn't absorb them the first time."

Apollo couldn't really argue.

Google was cooperating for once, it seemed that the forces of the internet were opposed to any kind of work, but music videos were _fine._ The videos also loaded faster than usual, maybe Klavier had a deal with YouTube or something. Apollo wouldn't put it past him.

Apollo had to say, the songs were better with volume control. In fact, they were _really good,_ and he liked them- well, within reason. There was only so much you could like stuff like this.

Apollo had to say that his favorite song was _Atroquinine, My Love_ , but that didn't stop him from hating the music video with unbridled passion. Klavier dying of an intentional drug overdose hit a little too close to home, in his opinion. Who wrote the plot to these, anyways?

That wasn't to say that they weren't _interesting_ \- they were _too_ interesting for Apollo. Especially when he began noticing how Klavier and Daryan usually ended up next to one another.

They'd gotten through most of the songs, with Apollo trying to hear the music through Trucy's energetic commentary. She seemed to know every single behind-the-scenes factoid, for someone who had gotten into the band on a whim after meeting the leading man.

It was something like an hour later when someone at the door made them both jump. It was a miracle they heard the door through the blasting music, thankfully it sounded in one of the breaks where YouTube loaded the new song.

Apollo looked over at Trucy, seated on the desk. "Are we… expecting someone?"

Clients didn't come that often, but Apollo _was_ currently out of a case- one of the reasons he wasn't fighting Trucy all that hard. He was sure he was going to make it through the whole week without a new one, especially missing work yesterday.

He'd asked the question mainly out of courtesy, thought, because they were _never_ expecting anyone. That is to say, until today, apparently, because Trucy nodded. "Yup!"

Apollo paused the video, getting up and continuing talking over his shoulder. "What?! Who?! We _never_ have anyone come."

"He's here to drop off the food," Trucy said, and that sounded fairly reasonable, especially for the WAA. It was nice of Mr. Wright to order food for them. Considerate. Apollo didn't really have any spare change, though; he hoped they weren't expecting a tip.

It only occurred to him as he opened the door that Trucy hadn't mentioned _who_ was here to drop off food, or why she knew they were a he.

"Apollo, I presume?" He asked when Apollo opened the door. "I've heard a lot about you."

Apollo willed himself to say something other than the squeak building up in his throat. Come on, you can't leave someone like him hanging, Apollo! Now he'd been silent for too long, this was suspicious, he could feel his palms sweating and slicking the doorknob, this was _bad._

"You look shorter in the trial videos!" He heard himself blurt, and he was already berating himself for it. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Only _Apollo Justice_ could say something like that when _Miles freaking Edgeworth_ randomly showed up at his door.

Thankfully, he only looked amused. "I wonder, if I'm short, then what does that make Wright?"

Apollo didn't know how to answer; he hadn't been prepared for a conversation like this. "Probably a bad angle or something. I watched a lot of your old cases. You looked taller on the witness stand!"

Just for a moment, there was a flicker of hurt in Mr. Edgeworths' eyes, and Apollo wanted to kick himself. _Stupid stupid stupid why did you bring up_ _ **that**_ _trial you idiot Apollo he wants to forget it!_

"Uncle Miles!" Trucy called, running in from Apollo's office. For the first time in the history of the Wright Anything Agency, Apollo thought to himself, _thank goodness Trucy burst in yelling._

"Trucy!" Mr. Edgeworth gave her a warm smile, one he must have developed recently, because Apollo couldn't remember ever seeing him this happy.

Mr. Edgeworth patted her on the back as she threw her arms around his waist. Apollo's bout of gratefulness had worn off by then, and now he was just staring.

 _Miles freaking Edgeworth_ was standing right in front of him. Bringing food for him. He was in the suit, with the cravat, of course, Apollo was pretty sure he slept in it. He was taller in reality, and now there were light creases around his eyes. It was _Miles Edgeworth_ , though, the very same one in the videos Apollo would obsessively watch for years. It was like meeting a movie star, with the same confusing disconnect between _I'm seeing you_ in my device and _I'm seeing you_ right in front of me, close enough to touch.

Oh _frick,_ Miles Edgeworth was in the same room as him, Apollo could literally reach out and touch him if he wanted to. Oh _frick_.

Apollo's expression must have gotten weird, because Trucy smacked him lightly. "Earth to Apollo!"

"Huh?" Apollo looked down. Trucy and Mr. Edgeworth had separated, and Mr. Edgeworth looked both amused and slightly concerned now.

"Sorry, he's not usually like this," Trucy informed Mr. Edgeworth, and Apollo was grateful that she said it- so he didn't have to. Mr. Edgeworth only smiled, almost like he'd been through this before, and held up the plastic bag Apollo hadn't noticed he was holding.

"I'm afraid my break ends soon, so I'll have to leave you with this." Mr. Edgeworth handed the bag to Apollo, who stuttered his thanks on shaky legs. This was _insane,_ he was getting handed lunch by _Miles Edgeworth…_

Mr. Edgeworth gave Trucy one last hug, and turned for the door. "Take care, Trucy. Nice meeting you, Apollo."

"Bye!" Trucy waved, rising up on her toes. Apollo waved numbly next to her, trying to get himself to say something again.

He regretted it, as soon as he heard what his brilliant brain had to say.

"Can I have a signed cravat?"

* * *

 **same**

 **thanks for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

**wooooo new chapter**

 **enjoy sinners**

* * *

The pre-concert routine wasn't new to Klavier, but this time, it was different.

Well, obviously it was. The differences were too stark and apparent to be poetic, or anything of the sort. Klaver wasn't part of a band anymore, he was the only man performing, Daryan was in jail, the Gavinners were disbanded, and Klavier was coming out with a solo album. The standard difference was that it was just him, Klavier Gavin had an entire show dedicated to him and his music.

And people wondered why stars had such egos.

It was difficult alone, though, and predictably _lonely._ There weren't any inside jokes from practice, no one was laughing with Klavier and no one had his back. No one noticed as his breath hitched at the thought of Kristoph, or made fun of him when he recited the lyrics for the millionth time, tapping his foot against anything he could find.

Klavier always got the pre-show jitters, though never because of the gigantic crowds. _The audience is my friend, ja?_

He'd said that once, and been quoted in every magazine and newspaper. So no, it wasn't the crowds that intimidated him. Most of the time, he got terrified by himself- or rather, his fallibility.

He made a point of seeming overconfident and egocentric to everyone he met, carefully constructing a pretty Klavier Gavin to show to people when they asked for him. His rock stardom seemed so fragile, able to fall apart with a single word or bad performance. One trip on stage, and he'd never forget it. One mispronunciation, and the whole world would know. One mistake, one slip-up, and he'd have failed. Game over.

Klavier hated his perfectionism, he hated it when he'd panic and blame others and he hated it whenever came short of being perfect. He was _human_ , he told himself, humans weren't _meant_ to be perfect. His inner monologue wasn't fooled, though, reasoning that _humans really weren't meant to fly, either, so really, anything is possible._

And so, Klavier expected himself to be perfect.

He knew why. It wasn't natural, it wasn't something he'd been born with and struggled with since birth. That might make it bearable, knowing that, despite it, it was Klavier in control all along. That is was his _choice_ to expect perfection.

Klavier had a funny feeling that there was a reason that that inner monologue voice sounded like Kristoph.

Oh yes, there was no way to deny that this little feature was installed exclusively by Kristoph. It was too logical, in a way, because who wouldn't want their tool to accept nothing short of perfection?

Kristoph hadn't ever been _proud_ of Klavier, or acknowledged a single thing he did. It was never _good enough,_ never worthy of Kristoph's high praise. And oh, did Klavier ever want that praise.

It seemed easy, at first, to blame it all on Kristoph. Classic daddy issues, he never came to my baseball game. Yet it felt like so much _more_ than that, especially now that the truth about Kristoph had been revealed. Klavier had always felt like he was _withholding_ his praise, holding it all back to watch Klavier work himself to the bone for it. It was the treat you never gave the dog, the reward you dangled in front of his nose and watched as he drove himself mad in crazed frenzy. Kristoph could have his cake and eat it, too, as Klavier blamed himself and tried to fix problems that didn't exist.

It made so much more sense now, looking back. Those nights when Klavier would smash his fist into the wall, wondering _why_ it was all him and no Kristoph, and if there was something wrong with him. Wondering if he wasn't good enough to deserve love in return, wondering if he was too broken to elicit a smile. Nowadays, it made more sense. Hard as it was to believe, he wasn't the broken one.

Klavier ran a finger over the mirror, tracing around his reflection. Makeup really did wonders before a show. You couldn't tell that he was a collapsed puppet, a used tool that still acted as though he had strings.

It was hard, being the only one on stage. No one was there to stop his thoughts, to tell him to _shut up and just sing, Gavin._

"Klavier?"

It was a meek question, and it took Klavier a moment to realize that it wasn't one of the light crew. It sounded more like someone who didn't know if they had the right room or not, someone like-

"Apollo!" He dashed forwards, taking Apollos' hands. "How'd you get back here, schatz?"

"Uh… the doors?" Apollo asked, and Klavier couldn't hold back his snort. He looked nice, by the way, in his casual clothes. Much less uptight than in court, more like a twenty-something guy than he ever did otherwise.

"You know what I mean."

"Apparently, being Klavier Gavin's boyfriend _gets_ you places," Apollo said in wonder, and Klavier laughed again. He could see younger versions of himself in Daryan in Apollo's widened eyes now, teenagers with far too much power and ego realizing that they could do _anything_ based on their names alone. He trusted Apollo to be _far_ smarter about it, but it was the same excitement that had gotten them in a lot of trouble.

"You okay?" Apollo asked, when Klavier hadn't replied for awhile. Klavier mentally kicked himself. He was spacing. He had to be awake and aware for this, and _not_ wonder what his deposed brother or best friend might think of him now.

"Fine, schatz. Ready to rock!" Klavier brushed his hair back, winking. It was a little shiny, a little plastic, but it usually fooled his audiences. Apollo was different, though, folding his arms over his chest. It looked like he was having none of it.

He never did.

Klavier sighed, able to admit defeat. "A bit lonely. I'm missing the Gavinners."

There we go. Simple, not too emotional, and easy enough for Apollo to get his drift. It was also rather honest: they were the ones who told him to forget about Kristoph for awhile, that this show would _definitely_ be the one that'd make Kristoph proud- not that Klavier should care this much, but trust them, it'd be perfect. They promised.

Apollo nodded, understanding. "I thought you might. That's… that's why I came by."

Klavier couldn't say anything. Of everyone he'd ever known, only Apollo would do something like this for him. They were fake dating, but it was almost as if the man was convinced they really were. He was the best boyfriend Klavier had ever had, fake or no.

"Anything I can get for you?" Apollo asked, putting his hands on Klavier's shoulders. He was probably talking about a glass of water or something, though he probably didn't know where to get them. Just like Apollo. Offer to help first, think it through later.

This was the part of Apollo it was only too easy to poke at. Just being around Apollo made Klavier feel stronger, somehow, more able to play the part for the audience. Klavier stepped closer to Apollo. "A kiss? For good luck?"

"Nuh uh!" Apollo held Klavier back, his hands flat against Klavier's chest. "I mean, I would, but I'd definitely mess up that makeup of yours."

Klavier made a face. "My makeup would have to be the least messed up part of me."

Apollo's eyes widened, and Klavier internally cursed himself. Apollo really didn't need him joking about that, especially after his… _performance_ a few nights ago.

Klavier still felt awful about that. Apollo didn't need more awkwardness around Klavier; he didn't need Klavier's complicated feelings to think about. And Klavier was taking advantage of the situation, making him stay overnight and- oh _gott,_ he'd even thought he needed to move in. Klavier couldn't burden Apollo like this, he couldn't make his problems Apollos'.

"Is messed up contagious? Because then I'm _never_ kissing you," Apollo crossed his arms and looked away. He really should have kept his hands on Klavier's chest, because Klavier took the opportunity to lean in.

"We'll see about that, ja?" Klavier smiled against Apollo's lips, and Apollo made a huffing noise, but didn't fight Klavier. It was comforting, to be able to flirt like this. Pretending to be this Klavier Gavin was easy, and familiar, especially with someone like Apollo to goad him along. It was easier to get up and put the mask back on around him, with him to hold Klavier at night.

 _Oh, gott._ That was bad. Klavier couldn't be thinking of Apollo as his boyfriend like this, for _gott's sake,_ they were faking this thing. Both of them had made it clear that they'd be breaking up at some point, and now, it was probably getting soon. Klavier needed to wean himself off of the drug, or he'd end up kissing Apollo when they weren't dating anymore. The press would surely have a field day, and Apollo wouldn't speak to him again. He'd realize that Klavier was only playing along because he wanted Apollo, because he wasn't above using something like this to get those little touches and help in sleepless nights-

Klavier pulled back from Apollo without so much as touching him, breathing heavily. Apollo's brows creased, he looked slightly confused, and if Klavier wasn't being biased (which, of course, he was,), disappointed.

Klavier closed his eyes, still panting, although he didn't know why. It was harder the farther he got from Apollo, physically more difficult to keep on breathing without the heat of Apollo's skin so close. Klavier couldn't afford to do this, though, not after Kristoph, and Daryan, and everything he'd known. He couldn't love in vain again.

"Concert's starting soon." Klavier said, chest still heaving. He opened his eyes. "Can't mess up that makeup, ja?"

"Yeah," Apollo agreed, but he still looked a little confused, and now a little concerned. He could see Klavier staring, though, and shook his head, as though to shake off the emotions on his face. "Yeah."

* * *

 **dank u for sinning along with me**

 **have a nice day**


	21. Chapter 21

**more fanfiction ayyy hope u enjoy**

* * *

Apollo had to admit, this concert _was_ ages better than his first one.

And it wasn't just because no one was murdered here, either. Klavier seemed more personal this time around, with more time to himself and more time to tell himself to the audience. It felt less like a cheesy band and more like an artist to Apollo, now that Klavier was just sharing the stage with his guitar- or rather, he was during this number, and Apollo's previous favorite, _The Man with No Name._

Just thinking about it made Apollo want to hum the chorus. _The man has no name, 'cause he stole mine, and me._ Say what you will about Klavier changing between concerts, but his skill at creating catchy melodies hadn't changed a bit.

This one had started out slow, though, and at first Apollo had wondered if it was a reprise of _It's Nothing to You (but it's Everything to Me),_ or one of the other million sentimental songs Klavier had written. It was to be expected, of course, Klavier had a "boyfriend", after all. Except… this didn't feel completely like a media cover up, some of the phrases and melodies felt real. It certainly felt like too much to be written in the meager time they'd been "dating", even though Apollo knew nothing whatsoever about songwriting. Apollo tried to stop himself from wondering, but… what if Klavier had been writing those songs _before_ they started "dating"? Could he really be attracted to Apollo? It'd be an explanation better than alcohol and the party for why he slept with Apollo, that was for sure.

Apollo sighed. He couldn't keep on trying to convince himself like this. Klavier hadn't wanted him to move in, and then there was earlier, when he'd pushed Apollo away instead of kissing him. Obviously, this was one-sided, and Apollo couldn't forgive himself if he took advantage of their situation.

This song was beautiful, though, with high, vibrating violins and the lingering notes of things Klavier had sang before. It just kept on building, layering over itself in a way that made Apollo shiver. Klavier was almost talking over himself with the echoes, pitches blending together to feel heavy and threatening.

"I've got these puppet strings on me," Klavier was cupping his microphone now, a prop he'd added for this number alone. "(They itch)," chimed in the background vocals, as Klavier took a breath to begin again.

"They rub my ego the wrong way, but I can't fight,"

"(I'm scared)" The background seemed whispery now, only getting quieter and raspier.

"I'm too scared to take them off," Klavier continued, and Apollo nearly couldn't believe what he was hearing. The lyrics felt too truthful to be an act, and it all added up with everything he'd seen over the past couple of days. It felt plain _weird_ to hear Klavier's innermost thoughts aloud, as though he was reading Klavier's diary or something. Apollo hadn't ever thought Klavier _this_ much of an exhibitionist, plainly lying out the truth about his relationship with his brother in front of thousands, millions. The mere _memory_ of Kristoph was enough to render Klavier a sobbing mess a few days ago, and now he seemed composed, singing comfortably to everyone there.

Yet it felt more natural than any way he had attempted to explain anything to Apollo before, so bare and honest and personal that it was impossible to deny. The music made sense, weaving in and out of Klavier's voice to paint the most telling story Apollo had ever heard. He _understood_ what he was hearing, and it reminded him of his own experiences with Kristoph- because _damn,_ the man could be convincing, and _pleasant_ when he wanted to. It felt too easy to do something for him, no trouble at all to do _anything_ for him.

Klavier must have somehow sensed that Apollo _got_ it, because Apollo could suddenly feel his eyes drilling into him. He'd read countless descriptions of piercing blue eyes, but this was the first time he'd really _gotten_ it. Goosebumps rose on his flesh as the music slowed, Klavier's lips parting- gorgeous lips, lips Apollo had _kissed-_ and he sang the last line, the background fading into the phrase _puppet strings, puppet strings,_ until that too, was gone…

"Who am I without them?" Klavier asked, and everything faded into rousing applause. Apollo couldn't hold himself back, cheering and jumping and yelling _that's my boyfriend!_ (Which, admittedly, probably wasn't the smartest decision in a crowd full of teenage girls in love with him, but Apollo didn't much care.) He was so _proud_ that Klavier had done it, that he was strong enough to _admit_ that he was scared of Kristoph, to pour his feelings into a song accessible to anyone and walk away. It felt good, just being a part of all of this. This was the relationship hinted at in _Atroquinine, My Love,_ but now understanding, now _getting_ where the aggressive sparks and blank patches came from. _Atroquinine My Love_ was a question, and this was the answer.

"Come on!" Apollo grabbed Trucy's hand, dragging her through the crowd. There were people everywhere, and Apollo kept on getting hit by elbows and backs and who knew what else, but that wasn't important. He had to see Klavier.

Trucy was giggling. "See? _Subtlety!_ "

"Yeah, ha ha." Apollo replied without even turning back, though he had to agree. Whether it was maturity or the lack of others, Klavier had gotten… well, more to Apollo's taste. Maybe comparing himself to Kristoph's puppet wasn't exactly _subtle,_ but the song was catchy and personal and it made Apollo feel in all the right places. In other words, the song really felt like Klavier himself.

Apollo pushed through a door marked _Employees Only,_ getting waves from people who'd seen him come through before. They'd asked him _just what the hell he was doing there,_ but apparently being Klavier's boyfriend was enough. Apollo could get used to this.

"Great job, everybody!" Klavier was saying as Trucy and Apollo picked their way through the thick multicolored electrical chords, brightening even _more_ the instant he saw Apollo.

"Achtung, baby!" His arms wrapped around Apollo and he kissed the top of Apollo's head, twirling him around with post-show ecstasy. Apollo had to laugh, this felt more like the Klavier he'd met back at People Park than anything ever had. It felt nice to have him back.

"You were amazing!" Apollo laughed, hugging him tight. "So, so, so amazing."

"Ach, danke," Klavier said happily, stepping back from Apollo, hands still cupping his shoulders.

"You really were."

Klavier and Apollo spun around at the new voice, squinting a little in the darkness of backstage. There was a flash of bright blue as Trucy ran towards the new voice with a cry of " _Daddy!_ ", and they knew who it was.

"Herr Wright," Klavier choked, immediately sobered. "It's… a pleasure."

Apollo stared at him, noting how his jaw twitched. Klavier only did that when he wanted to tilt it up, and he only tilted his jaw up when he was scared, or vulnerable. It was oddly helpless, in a way, baring his throat so that the worst of it could be over.

Klavier must have been thinking something along the same lines, wanting the worst of it to be over, because he blurted out everything he'd been thinking. "I'm so sorry, Herr Wright, I shouldn't have trusted him, this is all my fault, I hope you don't hate me too much. I was stupid, and _awful_ to you, and _gott,_ if I could do _anything_ over-"

He stopped as soon as Mr. Wright held a palm up, stuttering to a stop. He'd been nearly incomprehensible, anyways, going at the speed of light to get out everything he wanted to say.

"I forgave you a long time ago." Mr. Wright said contentedly. "All you had to do was ask."

Klavier looked relieved, and Apollo rolled his eyes. He couldn't _believe_ this. "Classic Mr. Wright. You've gotta know the magic words to get him to do anything."

"No, really." Mr. Wright argued, giving Apollo a playful shove. "And I'm not just saying that because of what happened today."

Klavier's face crumpled. Was he ever going to stop being so nervous around Mr. Wright? It _was Mr. Wright,_ after all. "Was… was happened today?"

Mr. Wright smiled, and seeing him smile this genuinely at Klavier really was something else. "I retook the bar exam."

Klavier's face lit up in a smile, freezing in disbelief. "R-reall- _ja! Yes!"_

He launched forwards, seizing Mr. Wright around the waist and hoisting him up. Mr. Wright made a little _oof_ noise, legs dangling in the air. Trucy doubled over laughing at the sight, and Apollo couldn't stop smiling either. Mr. Wright seemed to have accepted the hug after awhile, patting Klavier on the head with a small smile on his face. Klavier let him down, still beaming.

"Sorry- I just-" Klavier stuttered, gesturing without any real meaning.

"It's fine. There are like, 10 million screaming fangirls out there dreaming about what I just got. Trucy'd never wash again." Mr. Wright laughed heartily, brushing himself off.

Klavier's face relaxed visibly, and he settled back into the post-show high, beaming. "Speaking of which, who's ready for autographs?"

"You, hopefully, mine's not worth anything unless you want to forge a legal document," Apollo deadpanned, shoving Klavier towards the door. "Now get out there before they break down the door!"

Klavier grinned back, playing a riff on his air guitar. "Achtung, baby!"

He strode through the backstage area a lot more confidently than Trucy and Apollo had, moving past boxes and doors and black flooring with practiced ease. Trucy and Mr. Wright drifted towards each other, and Apollo could faintly hear Trucy's congratulations on retaking the bar exam behind him.

"Klavier! Wait!"

Klavier had made it to the door when Apollo found the strength to move again, running towards him. He couldn't leave it like this, not after a performance like that.

Apollo crashed into him, arms around Klavier and panting heavily. Why was he so worn out after so short a sprint? Was it even because of the run? Apollo didn't care, there was a way to say _everything_ he'd been thinking during the concert, lips to Klaviers' and everything would be easy, everything would be alright-

"You…" Apollo swallowed, hands on Klavier's chest, looking up into his eyes, and suddenly, he couldn't do it. He couldn't be too forwards. There was two days ago to think about, when Klavier hadn't wanted him moving in, and then there was before the concert, when Klavier didn't kiss him, looking almost _scared._ Apollo couldn't push anything now, he wasn't going to use Klavier's good mood against him.

Apollo tilted his chin up, smiling at Klavier. "Just… remember. You deserve this. You _earned_ this. Good job."

This was where Apollo would have _liked_ to add something like _I love you,_ but he knew better than that. Klavier nodded, with something like acceptance in his eyes. They had to slow this down, so they didn't crash and burn at the inevitable breakup.

"Ja," He said hoarsely, and then he left without saying another word.

* * *

 **alright straight into the rip**

 **this is basically as far planned as I have this thing, and my plans for future chapters are a bit fuzzy. I'll try to get them out with the least amount of delay, but since I have an ending planned as well as other projects, it might take a little longer than the usual.**

 **thanks for reading!**


	22. Chapter 22

**AIGHT I GOT IT LEZZGO FLASHBACK EPISODE HOPE YOU LIKE IT**

* * *

The moment he got home, Klavier crashed face first onto his bed.

His breath heated the sheets, sweet smelling and pressed up against his face. Klavier wished he could collapse there forever, and never get up again. That concert was _exhausting,_ and even more so than usual.

It was the usual wee hour of the morning he'd get home from a concert, with the usual mix of adrenaline and weariness. Concerts were always draining- obviously because of the singing, the moving, the walking, the lights beating down on his back and the nerves. Then mentally, there were always the concerns- what if people didn't like it? Klavier was always particularly hard on himself there, when Daryan called him a perfectionist; he wasn't exaggerating in the slightest.

Klavier closed his eyes at that, breathing heavily. Right. His medication. He had to take that, he couldn't risk another episode like a few nights ago. It got harder to take it, the farther in you got. That night he had wanted to take something, _anything,_ but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to resist the temptation to overdose. Better to suffer than give himself the means to end it all, even if he needed to call Apollo to keep on going.

This concert was particularly difficult for Klavier, though, primarily because of the weight of making every single decision there was to make. He hated making decisions like that, during the era of the Gavinners he'd preferred to leave them to Daryan. When it came to planning shows, Klavier was the leader of the band only in name.

There was a reason for that, Klavier thought wanly to himself, reaching into his medicine cabinet, even if his younger self hadn't a clue it existed. Making decisions was impossibly hard for him, it always had been, and chances were, it always would be.

 _Ach, you know the Many Worlds Interpretation, ja?_ he'd asked his therapist, relieved when she nodded. _It's only too easy for me to believe. That's how it_ _ **feels**_ _._

Oversimplified, the Many Worlds Interpretation meant that every choice anyone ever made created a new, parallel universe, in which they made a different choice. It felt too true, too undeniably true whenever Klavier thought about it. Every single choice meant too much to him, like he _was_ responsible for an entire new universe because of what socks he chose to wear in the morning. It was so much easier to leave the choice to someone else, someone who could think things through and weigh options and leave without clammy, sweaty palms.

It was odd, when he thought that others might not go through this. That _he_ was the only one running a magnifying glass over every detail, worrying and tossing and turning in bed wondering if he'd made the right choice. There was too much to consider, from intent to reality. It had always been so much _harder_ to make decisions on his own, second-guessing and second-guessing and second-guessing. Maybe he was wrong, if anything went wrong it was _entirely_ his fault no matter what.

Yet decision-making had _always_ been hard for Klavier, something he accepted in his life. He went up the stairs to the second floor nearly every day, yet if you asked him, he couldn't tell you how many stairs there were. He couldn't even estimate. The stairs weren't something to observe, they were simply present. The difficulty of _choosing_ was like that, something hovering over Klavier seemingly from the moment he was born.

He'd accepted it. Klavier knew not to trust himself with making choices like this, and he'd go to other people without a second though. Klavier usually ended up kicking himself afterwards, he was always too vulnerable, too needy, to unable to do anything but ask and take.

 _What do I do with all this?_ Seventeen-year-old Klavier had asked; staring at the balance in his bank account that only grew. Daryan only laughed. _If you've ever wanted_ _ **anything,**_ _Gavin, now's the time._

It was harder than that, though, and Daryan had never understood. In the end he'd gotten annoyed. _I don't know, Gavin, jeez! Buy yourself a nice house or something. Gigantic, in a fancy-ass neighborhood. With a fucking infinity pool._

Later Apollo came, staring at the house. It was the nicest house Apollo had ever been in. Klavier had never moved out, he couldn't even think where to. The decision was made, and he wasn't going through the stress of changing it.

He'd felt unimaginably _empty_ without Kristoph and Daryan. It was like he was a cardboard cutout, acting well, but asking others to fill in the space behind him. He couldn't think beyond his two dimensions, he needed someone smarter and stronger to create whatever he was, whomever _Klavier Gavin_ was, for him. It was simpler to maintain, acting, and far more agreeable. He could remember it like it was yesterday, the time after Kristoph's trial.

 _What do I do now?_ His head had been in his hands; Klavier could feel himself shutting down in denial. This _couldn't_ be real, this _couldn't_ be happening; he needed a guidebook, instructions, _something_ to help him, anything. Both Daryan _and_ Kristoph couldn't be gone.

Miles Edgeworth had given him a smile, gentle and reassuring. _It's best to busy yourself, so you don't think too much about it. Have you ever watched the Steel Samurai?_

That was just before he'd collapsed; whatever was left of him had gone. Thinking was harder, his head felt like a fuzzy screen, filtering out anything he was trying to think. He'd remain places without realizing he'd been sitting there, doing _nothing,_ for half an hour. It only got harder to eat, because of nothing more than the hassle of making food and forcing it down his throat. _What's the point?_ Klavier had wondered, lying in bed when he couldn't sleep, yet again. What _was_ the point? He'd keep on going, he'd survive on his own, only to mess up and become worth less than nothing. There wasn't anyone _there,_ it was only Klavier, alone.

It was easier to cry, harder to hide, harder to force himself into doing _anything,_ out of fear that he'd be wrong. Everything had to be _perfect,_ Kristoph had proven so, no one would care about him if he wasn't. He was a rockstar today, he was a prosecutor today, but tomorrow would come, and one slip up and the media would be breathing down his back until he resigned. Perfection was the only option, and the only thing Klavier would ever accept from himself.

Perhaps it was one too many quiet breaks when he should have said something glimmerous, perhaps it was one too many lost court cases, perhaps it was simple empathy, but Ema noticed. She noticed in her usual Ema way, munching on a snackoo and taking a jab at him. _Wow, the glimmerous fop has lost his glimmerousness. Someone call a doctor._

She'd deadpanned it; with the effortless skill only Ema could bring to it. Klavier had laughed emptily, but he was really thinking. Maybe Ema had a point. Maybe there _was_ something wrong with him. Maybe there was a reason anyone he'd ever counted as family was a murderer; maybe it was all his fault. Maybe there was a reason Kristoph couldn't love him the way he loved Kristoph, maybe there was a reason he was a failure to everyone even though they pretended he wasn't. He could fix everything, if only he knew.

His therapist said he was lucky, even if he didn't feel that way. Less than one percent of the population had Dependent Personality Disorder; but it probably went undiagnosed a lot. The disorder made it hard to make decisions. Seeing a therapist was a decision. The flaw in the system was obvious, and Klavier felt like laughing. _He_ , the shell of Klavier Gavin, was the lucky one. _He,_ who caused nothing but death and destruction, was fortunate. What had he done to deserve this?

DPD was probably why he had depression, she added, and the weight on his shoulders almost felt heavier. To get this far, only for his own mind to turn against him… it was a small wonder no one wanted to be around him. Small wonder he was all alone. He couldn't do _anything_ right.

Yet it _wasn't_ his fault, according to her, Daryan and Kristophs' actions were no one's fault but their own. Klavier _knew_ that, he wasn't an idiot; he'd always turned to Apollo's side in court. He was on the side of the law; anything could be sacrificed for doing what was _right_.

His therapist's face had softened when he said that, almost as though she understood. Good that he was standing up for what was right, what was good for the law, but how much had he excused? How much had he rationalized away in their attitude towards _him?_

The thought had made Klavier quiet. He _did_ value them and their opinions a lot, and it was far harder to do anything now, but how far from normal could that be? He'd lost people he'd loved, after all.

His fixation on Kristoph and Daryan was unhealthy, his therapist said. He started taking medication for depression. It was all very fragile, they had to be careful, she kept on saying. He couldn't develop a dependency on her, and he had to try not to with anyone else. Relationships were good, but dependency created a power imbalance- one that people like Daryan and Kristoph would ultimately use against him. Klavier had to agree, after trying to fight them. Every single time he dug himself out of a relationship like that, he felt worse off. More tired, more desperate, more needy for someone to fill the void.

Back in his bathroom, Klavier popped the medication into his mouth. It tasted bitter, and he scrunched up his nose like he always did. It looked funnier in the mirror than it felt.

Of course, this was the part of the story where _Apollo Justice_ came in. He was a bright, shining beacon of hope, telling Klavier to remember what he stood for, as though he stood for _anything._ Apollo himself stood for something, thought, the thought that good did exist in the world. The thought that there might be someone to care about Klavier. It was easier to fight the depression, remembering he'd get to see Apollo again. There was a point to continuing on, it seemed.

Apollo, though, felt like someone to watch out for, simply by definition. Klavier, in all of his dependent glory, would probably latch onto him. Apollo was the knight in shining armor, the savior from Daryan and Kristoph and whatever Klavier had been living before him. Make no mistake; Apollo Justice was dangerous to Klavier, even if he wouldn't _use_ a power gap in his favor. Klavier's therapist said that a power gap in a relationship was like a cavity- it was a danger simply in existing, as it festered and became more and more dangerous.

His therapist looked deflated when he told her he'd slept with Apollo, and that he was now seeing him- albeit in a fake relationship. When she said _be careful,_ that wasn't what she'd meant. Building a relationship only for it to be fake would only be detrimental to him.

 _Desperate times, fräulein,_ he'd said with a grin, and she'd looked ready to throw her arms up. She was right, though. He couldn't fall in love with Apollo, and he couldn't rely on him. Klavier couldn't get lost in Apollo's deep brown eyes, or cling to his adorably small frame, or run his fingers through his short brunette hair.

Obviously, on the count of loving Apollo, he'd failed before he'd begun.

Klavier tried to prove to himself he could fight it. After all, if he could act fine, if Apollo never noticed, that meant he was better, right? Then he could be with Apollo.

He made it through without many slip-ups. They weren't too big- remembering Daryan at the press conference and nearly losing his cool, only getting one ice cream cone at the park because it had taken a suspiciously long time for him to choose a flavor.

Then the bombshell dropped.

For someone with DPD, it scared Klavier how _dependent_ he could be on his treatment. One night without medication, and he could feel himself falling apart. The parts of him that had already shattered were sharp shards, poking him and digging into his flesh with every moment he spent alone. He _needed_ someone, _anyone, Apollo,_ he was thinking, as he pulled his phone out.

He'd regretted it immediately, trying to backtrack, and backtrack, and backtrack, but Apollo was stubborn. He came, he helped, and he _cared_ in the most achingly sweet way possible.

Klavier hated how good it felt around him. He hated that he needed Apollo around to feel good at all.

He hated that it had taken this long to admit to himself that he'd _failed._ It felt physically painful to be separated from Apollo like this, and Klavier knew that the longer he indulged himself, the more painful it would get. That was what happened with Kristoph and Daryan, ja? He'd gotten too interconnected, too reliant.

The very thought of Apollo was enough to keep him going nowadays. He was a new dependency, as it was. Get rid of the old ones, replace them with something new, ja?

Klavier left his bathroom, falling back onto his bed again. He had to learn, this time. He couldn't go through the heartbreak again. It was better to break it off with Apollo before it went too far, before he admitted everything- or worse yet, that he loved Apollo.

Klavier closed his eyes. The funny thing was, for all of his new-grown independence and decision-making, it really didn't feel like he had a choice.

* * *

 **right. so, this is my first time really writing this kind of disorder. I don't know how qualified I am, but this is my personal headcanon for Klavier, so I decided to try it out. Sorry for anything I did wrong (because let's face it, it's inevitable), and remember that not all of this is necessarily my view or personal opinion. thanks for reading either way, hope you enjoyed!**


	23. Chapter 23

**ripperoni guess who's back**

 **me**

* * *

It had been nearly a week, and it was like Klavier dropped off the face of the Earth.

Apollo clicked the on button for his phone again, hoping to see a text, a call, _something_ from his not-boyfriend. He wasn't even bothering to be discreet, checking his phone, despite being in the middle of the workday. To be honest, it'd be hypocritical for Mr. Wright to berate him for _anything_ at this point, not to mention that he didn't even think Mr. Wright cared.

Nada. The time floated above a clear picture of Klavier, Trucy and him from the concert, all flushed and grinning. Trucy's eyes were shut, but you could see the deep blue of Klaviers' and the rosy brown of Apollos'. The three of them looked like they were having fun, naturally spaced with the closeness of people who had been through a lot together.

Apollo felt his face relax at the sight. Klavier had to be fine. The concert wasn't that long ago, and he'd been fine then, if ever so slightly distant. That was to be expected, though, he'd been very vulnerable towards Apollo only a few nights ago- he probably needed some space to figure things out.

Still, Apollo couldn't help but wonder. His imagination did little to help things, supplying theories and theories and theories. Maybe a crazy fan had kidnapped him. Maybe he'd had a heart attack and died, and no one had noticed. Maybe his depression was back, and he had to take a few days off. Maybe aliens had captured him for studying humanity. Maybe Kristoph escaped from jail and killed him.

That last one wasn't very funny to Apollo. None of them were, actually, but the last one especially. He couldn't help but feel like Klavier was this terrified of Kristoph for a _reason,_ and Kristoph certainly had more than enough reason to want Klavier dead- what with his betrayal and all. This _was_ a man who had killed from inside of a jail cell, after all.

Apollo's breathing was becoming less steady, so he checked his phone again, just in case he'd missed a text.

Nothing.

He wanted to call Klavier, or text him, or ask him out on a date, or _something,_ but he almost didn't feel like he could. It was like all of his excuses were piling up on top of one another, a jeering tower to mock him every time he even considered it. It'd be taking advantage of him, since Klavier hadn't agreed to a real date- only a fake few, to protect Apollo. Klavier had too much on his plate, not to mention his depression; he didn't need the stress of knowing that Apollo was head over heels for him. Outside of their "dates", they were still just friends, after all.

Then there was always the classic concern: _what if he makes fun of Apollo? What if he doesn't like Apollo at all?_

Well, alright, maybe Apollo _knew_ that Klavier was better than that, but fear wasn't exactly rational.

His messages with Klavier remained untouched.

" _Apollo! Trucy!"_ Apollo heard someone shriek from the main room, and he sighed.

Mr. Wright had almost been more on edge waiting for results than he'd been getting ready for the test itself, and that was saying something. He'd been switching moods every five seconds, nearly on the dot. It was like he couldn't decide if he was hopeful that he'd done well, petrified over the questions he thought he'd gotten wrong, furious with Kristoph for disbarring him and himself for doing nothing about it, or sappily head over heels for Miles Edgeworth. It was exhausting to _watch._

"Yes?" Apollo tried to keep the sigh out of his voice, but Trucy's reply was peppy as always. He could hear her bounding into the room, seemingly never deterred by anything.

" _I passed!"_ Mr. Wright yelled, sounding so relieved he was beyond any emotion whatsoever. Trucy cheered equally loudly, and Apollo heard himself shouting too, neighbors be damned. _Mr. Wright had done it?!_

Apollo dashed out of his office, to where Mr. Wright was spinning Trucy around. "Wait, _really?_ "

"Yep!" Mr. Wright beamed, holding up the letter. "Licensed to practice law yet again!"

" _Yes!"_ Apollo yelled, throwing his arms around the both of them. " _Yes, yes yes!"_

The study sessions had paid off, it seemed, and now maybe Mr. Wright could finally do something useful. Apollo was glad he'd decided to turn his life back around, and somewhat proud he'd done it so successfully- if it wasn't too backwards for him to be proud of his boss. Passing the bar exam was _hard,_ ok?

"Alright, alright," Mr. Wright stepped back from the two of them, still grinning madly. "So, should I get a marquise, or a cusion cut?"

"Huh?" Mr. Wright didn't usually make sense, and he was excited now, so Apollo wasn't expecting a lot in terms of logic. Still, this was a new level: Apollo had absolutely _no_ idea what he was talking about.

"Or maybe asscher," Mr. Wright continued, probably thinking aloud at this rate. "Does he strike you as a tapered baguette kind of guy?"

"What are you talking about?" Apollo asked, looking at Trucy to make sure he wasn't the only confused one. Apparently, he was, because she was looking upwards with her hand to her chin, thinking. As usual, Apollo was the only insane one- or in this case, probably the only sane one.

"Cuts, Apollo, for the diamond ring!" Mr. Wright sighed, disappointed. "Remember?"

Oh, right. Part of the reason he was retaking the bar exam was to propose to Miles Edgeworth

Wait, he was _actually_ planning to marry Miles Edgeworth?!

"I'm thinking slimmed," Trucy finally deliberated. "But what are you doing for the band itself?"

"Probably silver or antique gold." Mr. Wright said. Considering how uncertain he was about the cut, Apollo didn't even want to _think_ about how long it had taken him to reach that assessment.

"I'd say to go for antique gold," Trucy said thoughtfully. "That way, you get the contrast in color."

"Right." Mr. Wright nodded. Apollo felt ridiculously lost, how were the two of them so well versed in… engagement ring lingo? Was that even a _thing?_

Either way, they were talking about the ring, but it might as well be in another language to Apollo. It was almost like they'd forgotten he was there.

Apollo couldn't be anything but happy for them, though, especially since Mr. Wright had just passed the bar exam. He was happy that Mr. Wright might get someone to spend the rest of his life with, and that Trucy might get another parent. Everything just felt so much _better_ lately: Trucy now had a responsible, stable parent, Mr. Wright had regained control of his life, Klavier was brave enough to write about himself in front of an audience, and Apollo got to be around all of them. And he got to meet Miles Edgeworth. That was a big one.

"Hey Apollo, you coming?"

Mr. Wright was standing by the door, keys in one hand and the other helping Trucy put a coat on. When he'd bought a car, Apollo didn't know, but at least his key ring wasn't as tacky as Klavier's.

"Where?" Apollo asked, as Trucy threaded her arm through the coat and shrugged the rest of it on.

"Engagement ring shopping! To celebrate!" Mr. Wright said, still grinning. This was by far the happiest Apollo had ever seen him, and it felt kind of unnerving. Usually when Mr. Wright smiled, it was cause for alarm, not an endearing thing. Yet he seemed so genuinely happy that Apollo didn't want to ruin it. Ever. If getting his badge back made him this happy, why didn't they do this sooner?

"Nah, I'll watch the office. You guys have fun." Apollo waved them away, still smiling. It seemed Mr. Wright's happiness was contagious.

"You sure?" Mr. Wright asked, and Apollo nodded. Someone had to stay here; they were a business, after all. Plus, he didn't know anything about ring shopping, and going through a store full of overpriced rocks with an excited Trucy Wright sounded like the worst idea of all time to him. He was still getting over his headache from the _concert_.

Besides, someone had to be uninvolved to protect them from whatever legal trouble they'd undoubtedly get into.

"Bye!" Apollo waved, and Mr. Wright and Trucy waved goodbye from the door. The Wright Anything Agency was silent the moment it closed behind them, and Apollo sighed. It was nice, in the peaceful moments where the Wright Anything Agency was void of any Wrights.

The noise level had been especially bad recently, ever since Klavier's latest album, _Addict in the Inner Circles,_ had been officially released. Trucy was blasting it every chance she got, when Mr. Wright had been too stressed and emotional to tell her to stop. Not that Apollo was complaining, except for when he ended up humming them in court. That was just embarrassing, and Payne liked pointing it out.

Apollo frowned. Now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen Klavier in the courtroom all week- not even passing in the hallways. Either Klavier had actually been incapacitated somehow, or Klavier was avoiding him. What reason would Klavier have to avoid him? To Apollo's knowledge, their dates were going fine- hell, Klavier even had mementos from them in his bedroom. Everything had to be fine, right?

Apollo checked his phone again.

Nothing.

* * *

 **thanks for reading!**


	24. Chapter 24

**I am merely a melodramatic person who listens to melodramatic music and writes melodramatic shit**

* * *

"Klavier!"

Apollo nearly couldn't believe his eyes when _Klavier Gavin,_ of all people, walked into the agency. It hadn't been more than an hour after Mr. Wright and Trucy left to go engagement ring shopping, and there _he_ was, striding through the door. It felt amazing to see Klavier again, and even more so to see him alright. Apollo had been so worried, and then mad at himself for not being able to check up on Klavier. This was a relief on too many levels.

Apollo flung his arms around Klavier's neck, hugging him tight. His head came to rest on Klavier's chest, rising and falling slowly. Apollo's cheek nestled into Klavier's warm skin, and he sighed. Klavier smelled like soap, probably because of his clothes, but it was a nice soap, smelling faintly of cinnamon.

It took a bit for Apollo to realize that Klavier wasn't responding, whether pulling away or hugging Apollo back- _anything,_ really. He was standing still, muscles locked in place.

Apollo stepped backwards, scanning Klavier. His clothes looked fine, so did his face, just as pristine as usual. Nothing was rumpled or torn or scratched, it didn't look like anything was wrong on the outside- not that Klavier had a great track record with his injuries being external.

"Is something wrong?" Apollo asked, standing on his toes and brushing a lock of hair out of Klavier's face. His hand drifted down to Klavier's cheek, joined by another to cup his face. "Are you ok?"

"Ach. Apollo." Klavier's hands gently took his, guiding them down from his face. Apollo wanted to protest, but he didn't want to pressure Klavier, and either way, he was holding Klavier's hands. They were warm and soft, except for the rings pressing into his fingers.

"Klavier?" Apollo asked. He was acting weird, even for Klavier Gavin. Maybe something _was_ wrong; maybe he'd gotten hurt somehow. Apollo swore, if _anyone_ had hurt him-

"We've been dating for, _was_ , 3 weeks now, nein?" Klavier asked, and Apollo could tell he was nervous- he was using more German than usual. Apollo nodded, though, it was all he could think to do. Where was Klavier going with this?

"I think it's enough to satisfy whatever doubts people would have about us," Klavier said, taking measured breaths as though to control his voice. "And certainly, with my solo career, there's more than enough for the press to focus on."

Apollo could feel his face fall, and something cold grip his heart. He froze, disbelieving. This couldn't _really_ be happening, could it? He'd known this was inevitable, it had been from the beginning, but it had felt like something that would never actually happen.

"Are you… breaking up with me?" he managed to choke, voice breaking. His chest felt empty all of a sudden, and there was heat building up behind his eyes. _Don't cry Apollo, please don't cry._

Why was it that thinking that only made the heat build more?

"Apollo?" Klavier asked, whatever stony façade he'd been wearing when he came in breaking. His brow creased, and his blue eyes bore into Apollos'. "Mein gott, schatz, are you alright?"

Apollo ripped his hand from Klavier's, wiping his face. No tears yet, he couldn't believe his luck. "I…"

He didn't know what to say.

Klavier squeezed the hand he was still holding, concerned eyes still looking into Apollo's. Apollo could feel the question hanging over them, the last thing he wanted Klavier to ask. Both of them were thinking it, he knew it, both of them were asking it. _You_ _ **were**_ _faking it, right? This_ _ **was**_ _fake. You didn't suggest this just to get closer to Klavier, did you? That would be_ _ **awful**_ _of you._

Apollo could feel himself breaking down, body racked with heavy breaths. "I… I wasn't faking it, alright? I do actually care about you. I… I can't think of a good way to say this, but…"

Apollo breathed carefully, trying to slow his heart rate. He'd spewed everything up until now, and he could feel Klavier getting more and more suspicious. He had to come clean now, and just say it.

He looked up into Klavier's eyes, and they were as blue and gorgeous as ever. Apollo could feel tears welling in his own, and he wished he could stop crying before he even started.

"I love you, Klavier."

Apollo couldn't believe he'd _actually_ said it, and he felt so relieved he could have started laughing then and there. A weight was off of his chest, and now it felt so unnervingly empty he didn't know what to do. His heart was shattered and the dark cloud hanging over him had vanished, and he was so light there was a danger of him drifting away.

Klavier sighed, brushing his hair back. It looked almost like Apollo had passed the weight to him, with how his shoulders drooped. Apollo internally melted. He'd been afraid of this.

Still… there was room to hope, right? Klavier had slept with Apollo, and then there were the songs at the concert, and the mementoes from their dates, and his smiles at the dates themselves. He'd been so carefree and happy when they were together, there seemed to be no way Apollo's feelings were unreciprocated.

Klavier opened his mouth, and Apollo steeled himself for whatever he was going to say. He didn't think it was necessary, though. Evidence was everything, and all the evidence said that Klavier had feelings for him, too. There had to be a happily ever after to this, they'd been through so much together. They'd fought Kristoph together, teaming up in court as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Then there was that night, a week ago, where Klavier had put himself in Apollo's hands- he _trusted_ Apollo, enough to admit things to him that he'd admitted to nearly no one else.

Apollo closed his eyes for an instant, inhaling. They _deserved_ a happy ending, for all they'd done for each other.

Please.

"I'm sorry, Apollo."

Apollo's eyes snapped open, to see Klavier, face ashen and eyes cast downwards. Apollo couldn't help but think that was an odd way to start a love confession, and the sinking feeling in his stomach reminded him that _maybe it wasn't._

 _Please-_

"I… don't feel the same way about you." Klavier shook his head. "I don't."

People really needed to stop describing hearts as _broken,_ because that's not how it felt at all. Apollo's heart felt more than broken, like a gigantic void, or a black hole. It felt so gut-wrenchingly _painful_ that it was unbelievable, like Apollo was being forcibly divided by zero. Something that couldn't happen, and yet, here it was, grinding him into countless shards until he became dust.

"Goodbye, Apollo."

Klavier dropped Apollo's hand and headed for the door, and Apollo felt too broken to let it do anything but swing uselessly. He watched silently as the door shut behind Klavier, pleading with himself to _move,_ to _say something,_ to _do something,_ _ **any**_ _thing._

It was all he could do to keep on watching. Everything felt _wrong,_ and out of place. The room felt too hot, his clothes and bracelet felt too tight, and it felt like the world was coming crashing down on him.

Apollo Justice felt defeated.

* * *

 **so I heard some of you guys liked this thing ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**


	25. Chapter 25

**literally all of your reviews are making me laugh so hard. you guys are so dank is this why you put up with me? I love you all thank you for sticking with me through 25 chapters of this trash. that is a quarter of 100 can you even believe this what am I doing here**

* * *

Apollo had read somewhere that the human brain dealt with rejection the same way it dealt with physical pain, and for the first time in his life, he truly believed it.

He'd googled his and Klavier's relationship status for who knew what reason (people had given it one of those celebrity ship names, Klapollo, and damn was it adorable), going into the news tab of google for what was probably the first time.

Lo and behold, Klavier had probably been planning to break up with him the second he walked into the Wright Anything Agency. He'd released a statement already, claimed every article and post Apollo could find, and it was very nice and professional. He spoke very highly of Apollo, and claimed that it was a mutual end, something they both agreed upon, and they were still friends.

Apollo snorted. Cute. If it was so mutual and accepted, then why was he sitting here, scrolling through countless comments and posts with a bowl of ice cream in his lap?

…yeah, it was a cliché, but go figure. It was the first thing Apollo could think to do when everything really started hurting, and ice cream always tasted good. He'd raided the Agency fridge almost immediately after Klavier left, and somehow had been able to look past Mr. Wright's alcohol. He guessed he didn't really want another hangover. The ice cream was sticky though, and it dripped easily, but Apollo didn't care. The chocolate did make him feel better, even if it reminded him of that ice cream him and Klavier had shared at People Park-

 _No._ Apollo shut his eyes. He couldn't be reminiscing. Somehow, the happier the memory, the more painful it seemed now. It was almost like looking at them with a new tint, something that made them the opposite of what they had seemed at the time. After all, Klavier had been faking it. He'd never _really_ cared about Apollo like that.

Apollo shoveled another bite of ice cream into his mouth. It was freezing cold. Good.

He sighed, bitterly. He really needed to get over Klavier. He couldn't pressure the guy into a relationship with him if he didn't want it, and he wasn't entitled to anything from Klavier.

It just _hurt,_ so goddamn much- especially since Apollo's solutions for feeling bad usually involved Klavier in some way, shape, or form.

Apollo felt on the verge of tears. He could remember how this had all started, at that party…

 _"Dance with me?"_

 _Apollo looked up, and suddenly felt covered in a cold sweat. Was the room constricting? He was pretty sure the room was constricting. At the very least, there had to be something in the air making it harder to breathe._

 _Why did Klavier Gavin always elicit this type of response?_

 _This was worse than usual. Apollo hadn't been expecting him at all, and now here he was, leaning in with a grin and kind blue eyes. Apollo was so sure they ran in different social circles, he never thought he'd run right into Klavier at a party. He didn't even go to parties that often, though for the life of him, between the alcohol and Klavier's warm smile he couldn't tell you whose party this even was. All he knew was that some slow song had started, and it was his cue to sit down for a bit- he never got asked to dance. Until now, apparently._

 _Apollo downed another shot. Might as well take what confidence he could get._

 _"Yeah!"_

 _Klavier's face lit up like Apollo had never seen it light up before, and Apollo was fairly sure he was going to go blind. It was almost as though Klavier wasn't expecting this, as he grabbed Apollo's hand and dragged him off. Apollo stumbled after him, the lights were burning into his eyes and the music was so loud he could feel it thumping in the floor. It all paled in comparison to Klavier, though, looking over his shoulder to shoot another smile at Apollo. Thin strands of hair had escaped his hairdo, frizzy and highlighted in the color changing lights. Apollo couldn't stop staring into his eyes, wide and open as always, reflecting a busy scene in bright blue. Klavier Gavin was simply captivating, in the rare moments when he allowed his gleaming smile to reach his eyes._

 _Fitting, how Apollo was being pulled to dance through an intoxicated stupor, and all he could think about was how goddamn beautiful Klavier was._

 _They stopped moving and began to dance, Klavier's hand on Apollo's waist and twitching to pull him closer. Apollo was only too happy to oblige, nearly tripping over his own feet in an attempt to touch more of Klavier._

 _"Herr Forehead," Klavier laughed, falling into Apollo slightly. Apollo was laughing too, alcohol made it easier to control his blush and crippling embarrassment._

 _They swayed together, each holding the other close, hoping that the man opposite was too intoxicated to care. Besides, each of them reasoned to themself, some self-indulgence couldn't kill them._

 _Maybe they could even make a move._

 _Klavier rested his head on Apollo's shoulder, and Apollo's heart began beating funny. One thing lead to another, and Klavier's lips were drifting towards his, looking soft and gentle and kissable as always-_

Apollo exhaled with a small grunt, though it barely made any noise, choked in tears. He shook, clenching his eyes shut, hoping the darkness would drive the memory away. Anything to make it go away.

It felt faraway now, tinged in _something_ that made it feel unbearable. Apollo couldn't even _think_ about it without feeling like sobbing into his ice cream.

He barely even noticed as the door opened, Trucy bounding into the room and beginning to talk very loudly. Apollo supposed she was addressing him.

"Wow, Polly, you sure are taking this breakup badly!" he heard her chirp, and Apollo felt too tired to even mind the insensitivity. Mr. Wright was probably parking the car; it looked like Trucy was his responsibility for a second.

Of _course_ she knew already from her fan sites, of _course_ she'd start yelling about it the moment she walked in. Would it be too much to ask for Mr. Wright to have lectured her again on the car ride over?

Trucy folded her arms behind her back, bouncing on her feet. "The way you're acting now, it's almost like a real breaku-"

Her eyes met Apollo's, and he was glaring rather intensely. Trucy thought better of what she was about to say. " _Oh."_

" _Yeah,_ " Apollo spat, stabbing his ice cream with his spoon. Trucy winced in sympathy.

"Did you tell him? About… how you really feel?" Trucy asked, approaching him carefully. Apollo's head dropped to his hands.

" _Yes,_ " he groaned. "I told him everything. He just… doesn't feel the same way."

" _Bullshit!"_ Trucy said rather animatedly, and Apollo jumped.

" _Trucy!"_ He yelped. "You can't-"

"He totally likes you, Polly!" Her brow furrowed, hands planted on her hips. "He's probably just being stupid!"

"We both are." Apollo admitted, laughing a little. "We're both being so _stupid._ "

Trucy's brows knitted together further as Apollo punched the sofa pillow, shill shaking- though with laughter or sobs, he couldn't tell. Probably just hysterics. "I was stupid to think _Klavier Gavin_ cared about me at all."

"No, _this_ is stupid, Polly." Trucy nearly growled. "Moping around and feeling sorry for yourself won't fix anything. You've gotta fix things!"

"There's nothing _to_ fix, Trucy!" Apollo fired back. "He doesn't love me. I can't do anything about that."

Trucy's facial expression softened, and she sank down on the sofa next to Apollo. Her hand rested on Apollo's shoulder, and her voice softened. "Polly…"

"I'm fine." Apollo sniffled, leaning closer to her. "Totally fine. I'll be back to normal by Monday, promise. Just… I miss him."

Trucy squeezed his shoulder. "Take your time, Polly."

Apollo nodded. He could do this. He couldn't lie to Trucy, so now he had no choice but to heal.

He'd be better on Monday.

* * *

 **thanks for reading the latest installment of klapollo sin see u next time**


	26. Chapter 26

**it's next time and I see u**

 **welcome to the sin**

* * *

"Edgeworth told me to check on you," a familiar voice said, and Klavier could hear someone sitting down next to him.

"As though it's in my job description." Ema huffed. How she'd found him in this bar, Klavier had no idea. It wasn't even a usual haunt or anything, he'd chosen at random.

He really wasn't even supposed to _look_ at alcohol in his condition, but Klavier was making an exception- not that doing so was uncommon for him, but he liked to pretend that he was at least _trying_ to follow the rules, even now. He was unspeakably angry at himself. Apollo had looked so _hurt,_ blinking back tears and choking whenever he tried to say anything. It was for his own good, though, Klavier couldn't have someone as perfect as Apollo in love with whatever _he_ was. Klavier didn't even feel like a real person, more like a collection of needing and aching parts. It wasn't fair to let Apollo think they could have something when they couldn't, and it wasn't fair to lead him on thinking that Klavier was anything more than Kristoph's perfect, custom-made tool. A perfectionist, dependent, brilliant tool.

Apollo deserved perfection, Apollo deserved everything that Klavier couldn't give him. So Klavier bit his cheek, lied to Apollo, and kicked himself as he had the _audacity_ to feel hurt by this. Do it for Apollo, he'd been thinking. Do it so he can find someone better. Do it so he can have a relationship, with a real person he didn't have to watch his every move around. He deserved better.

Klavier didn't know if Apollo had even believed him. He'd been ridiculously obvious, against his better will and judgement. Yet there was that part of him that turned to ice whenever he thought he was in _love_ with Apollo, the part of him that wanted to shut down and collapse whenever he thought of Kristoph. There was something about being in love, being in love with Apollo, that felt wrong and terrifying. Klavier wasn't sure if he could handle another person lost, another part of him that was ripped away in the worst way possible.

Klavier really should have had the strength to break this off sooner, but the affection felt _so good._ The thought that someone could give him that warmth again, that someone might _care_ almost outweighed the dangers. But Apollo deserved better, and Klavier couldn't do this, so he had to lie. He wished Apollo had _noticed,_ had pushed him away when he started to cling. It'd make the lot of this easier, that was for sure.

Klavier didn't have the strength to react to Ema's entrance, staring into the glass and thumbing the side. Edgeworth had sent her? He was touched, really, now that he could maybe add Edgeworth to the short list of people who might care about him.

So far, Edgeworth was the only one outside of Klavier and his therapist who knew Klavier's diagnosis. As Klavier's employer, Klavier had thought it a good idea to let him know. He had been oddly sympathetic.

Of course, Edgeworth was the only one who could make Ema do anything. This wasn't something new, from what Klavier heard, apparently Ema had quite the crush on him when she was younger. Klavier was too tactful to ask her about it. That, and he didn't want to be hit by snackoos.

Ema's voice changed, gentler and… was that _sympathy_ in her voice?

"Hey. You ok?"

It was a loaded question; one Klavier didn't want to answer. It assumed he'd _ever_ been okay, and being _okay_ only seemed harder and harder to grasp as he went on.

Life wasn't about what you did or didn't want to do, though, so Klavier answered her.

"Not really."

"Thought so." Ema said, sounding a little solemn. Her voice changed, as she addressed who Klavier assumed was the bartender. "I'll have whatever he's having."

"Nein, you don't want this, fräulein." Klavier couldn't stop himself from laughing. "This is what I drink to…" he ran his fingers on the glass, tilting it, words escaping him. The world seemed rather fuzzy now. "For it all to stop."

Yeah, that sounded about right. That was what he wanted right now, wasn't it? An escape from this complicated web, where he was too broken to love Apollo. Where Apollo loved him, not knowing why they couldn't be together. Where Klavier couldn't even tell him that he loved him, in fear of clinging onto him and never letting go.

Ema seemed amused by his choice of drink. "How are you still coherent?"

"I am cursed." Klavier downed another glass, panting. "I'm a heavyweight. There was actually a time in my life when I believed it was impossible to get myself drunk. I decided to test myself, some years ago."

He thought that Ema was nodding, but he couldn't really tell. His vision was swimming.

"Kristoph took care of me, the next day." Everything was only getting fuzzier. Klavier didn't even know if he could focus anymore. He wasn't sure why tears were welling in his eyes, just that he didn't want to cry now. "He thought it was funny, that I went to such lengths to prove myself wrong."

"Sounds like the type of foppish thing you'd do." Ema noted, taking her drink from the bartender. Klavier almost wanted to laugh. She never missed a beat, or an opportunity to insult him, however impervious he'd grown over time. He was grateful, though, that she hadn't mentioned Kristoph. Stupid of him to even bring Kristoph up.

Ema took a long drink of the stuff, swallowing and setting her cup down with a loud clink. " _Shit,_ Gavin," she gasped, cocking her head funny. Well, she couldn't say he hadn't warned her. It must be strong, though, she wasn't even calling him glimmerous fop now.

It turned out that maybe she wasn't talking about the drink, because she went on.

"Why am I even here? Don't you have a boyfriend for this type of thing?" Ema asked, sounding a little bitter.

Klavier started laughing, unable to help himself. It felt like everyone knew, as it spread from one social media site to the next. He'd made it official very quickly, to resist the temptation to run back in and wipe Apollo's tears away, shushing him and promising that it'd be alright, Klavier had lied and he loved Apollo no matter what.

"Not anymore," Klavier kept on laughing, taking a long drink from his glass. It was shockingly bitter, setting everything inside of him on fire and making the outside world look hazy.

Ema's brow creased. "Did you tell him about your glimmerous crush?"

 _There_ it was. The 'glimmerous' was back.

"I lied." Klavier said shortly, and rushed into a question before she had time to ask him why.

"If you loved someone, but thought being with them would hurt both of you, what would you do?"

Ema looked equal parts confused and frustrated, so she took another drink. "I dunno, Gavin, this sounds like one of your overdramatic overcomplications. You love him, don't you?"

Klavier didn't say anything, and Ema took that as a cue to continue.

"You two are weird, in court."

Klavier stared at her, not quite getting it, and Ema corrected herself. "What I mean is… you two are a perfect team. When he doesn't know the answer, you do, and vice versa. There's no way to stop you."

No, Klavier thought, no, there was. A team doesn't work when half of it depends on the other, and a team can't work when half of it can't think for itself.

"You two make each other better," Ema ran her fingers over her glass. "He's more confident with you by his side, and you're happier around him."

Klavier's head dropped, forehead lying on the edge of the bar. He closed his eyes. Happier.

He supposed he was happier around Apollo, the world seemed friendlier and all around _better_ with him around, more forgiving and lighter than anything Klavier had seen before. It was everything he could hope for and more. Maybe that was what being in love meant, that flighty feeling that made you want to stay at a person's side forever. Or maybe that was dependency. It wasn't as though Klavier would know, and besides, the deed was done now. Apollo probably hated him, and it would only get worse if he knew Klavier had lied to him. No, it was better like this.

Klavier _knew_ it was unreasonable, but he was scared of another betrayal. Another person gone. He _knew_ it was idiotic, and that Apollo would _never_ do that, but the very thought froze his muscles in place. He was terrified of Kristoph, and of creating another Kristoph.

Sometimes it felt like that was all he was good for.

Ema started talking again, and Klavier realized he'd been unresponsive for awhile. With the amount of alcohol he was downing, Ema probably thought he'd collapsed.

"…well, I'd love to stay here and commiserate, but some of us have actual work to do." Ema grumbled, leaving some money on the counter as she stood up. Klavier waved goodbye weakly, head firmly planted on the table.

Her footsteps stopped. "What do you want me to tell Edgeworth?"

Klavier's whole body racked with a sigh. He didn't know. He'd have the worst hangover tomorrow morning, but he wasn't supposed to be drinking at all. Diagnosis and all that.

"I'm fine. I'll be at work on Monday." Klavier shut his eyes. He'd gotten over worse quicker. It was just Friday, after all. He'd have the whole weekend to recuperate.

Ema's footsteps began again, and Klavier heard the creak of the door opening. "And Ema?"

She paused.

"Danke."

Klavier could hear her laugh, clipped as the door closed behind her.

* * *

 **klavier and ema walk into a bar. What do they say?**

 **one day I will stop saying that whenever I write a chapter with two characters going to a bar. but today is not that day.**

 **thanks for reading!**


	27. Chapter 27

**welcome back congrats for making it all the way here**

* * *

Apollo shoved the door open and stumbled into the courthouse bathroom, breathing heavily in frustration. _Damn_ it, _damn_ it all.

It was Monday, and of _course_ the first trial of this week was against Klavier. Of _course_ he looked perfect. Of _course_ Apollo couldn't think straight with _him_ across the courtroom, grinning as he slammed his fist into the wall behind him. Apollo couldn't even remember the verdict, he was sure he'd lost, he probably deserved it. He couldn't stop _staring_ at Klavier the whole time, with widened eyes and what was probably a hurt expression on his face.

Apollo stopped in front of a slightly grimy sink, turning the tap and watching the too-cold water drip out. Klavier had been magnificent. His hair was made of the glossy blonde curls Apollo remembered, the ones he'd loved to run his hands through. His eyes were still blue, narrowing with fire every time Apollo made an objection. He'd been smiling the entire time, regardless of what was happening, mask fixed and nailed onto his face.

Apollo groaned into his hands, splashing the water onto his face. He'd been so _close_ to helping him, so _goddamn close_ to having those lazy Harry Potter marathon days forever. It was so goddamn _frustrating_ for everything to slip away now, for reasons Apollo wasn't even sure he could comprehend. He thought he'd been doing well, he thought he'd been doing fine.

No.

Apollo winced at the water, it was too cold. Either way, he couldn't be bitter now. This was Klavier's decision, and if Klavier didn't like him, that was fine. He was Apollo Justice after all, he could take rejection.

Even if all logic pointed to Klavier loving him back.

He just _wished_ he knew _why._ He wished he knew why they couldn't be together, when everything seemed like it _should_ work.

Somehow, it felt like _more_ than what Klavier was claiming. Apollo had a feeling, like when he knew to press a witness on a statement in court. After grieving through the weekend, Apollo couldn't help but feel that something was off here. The sunlight-filled dates had been _too_ good to be fake.

And yet… in stark contrast, there was that painful day on Friday, when Klavier had left with a stony _I don't love you._ Just thinking about it made Apollo want to curl up in a ball and never open his eyes again. He could still remember every feeling as though it was happening all over again: the heat in his eyes, the overpowering feeling of a premature end, the tightness in his bracelet, clothes, everything he was wearing. He'd felt like a stranger in his own body, uncomfortable and hated.

It wasn't like rejection was _new_ to Apollo, he _was_ an orphan, after all. He'd grown up rationalizing that no one wanted him, and that he could be great on his own. Apollo had tried his best, gotten into law school and then gotten an apprenticeship. He'd gone from having no one to having Kristoph, and that'd been nice until it turned out Kristoph was a murderer. Apollo still wasn't sure if a vengeful murderer was better than no one, but he felt sick every time he thought about it.

So, yeah. Being cast aside and abandoned wasn't new, and the feeling wasn't new, but Apollo hadn't felt it in so long that he'd begun to forget it. The Wrights weren't a perfect family, but they were the best Apollo had so far, so screw it. Mr. Wright was improving, and Trucy had liked him from the start. It was good, better than Apollo had ever had it, and he was fine.

Klavier _should_ have been his ticket to being more than that. He'd felt like family from the first moment, teasing and comfortable and honest and who knew what else. Apollo loved him, and he'd wanted nothing more than to help him, just like he'd helped Mr. Wright get his badge back. Klavier meant too much to him, and his rejection hurt too much, taking him back to being a helpless child who no one wanted. It felt so bad that Apollo could almost _still_ feel everything he was wearing cutting into his skin, cuffs and socks and bracelet-

 _Wait._

Apollo froze, and his eyes widened in the mirror.

 _What_ had he been thinking back when Klavier left? His clothes and bracelet had felt too tight?

 _His bracelet had been too tight?_

There was a sudden creak as the door swung open just then, and Apollo turned to see who had walked in, heart still racing. Either this was an absolute disaster, or it was… an absolute disaster.

Surprise. It was an _absolute disaster._

Klavier froze at the sight of him, pointing to the door in a moment of uncharacteristic awkwardness. " _Ach._ I'll-"

"Wait. No." Apollo shook his hands in the sink, trying to dry them on short notice. He couldn't let Klavier leave now, not when he knew… he'd been _lying._ "Stay."

Klavier looked uncertain, but he stayed where he was. He nearly looked… scared? Why would he be scared of Apollo?

"Klavier, w- what's going on here?" Apollo stepped closer to him. Apollo wasn't even sure what he was feeling right now- anger? Disappointment? Relief? He couldn't think of a single reason why Klavier would lie about something like this. Was someone making him break up with Apollo? What was going on here?

Klavier closed his eyes, pressing himself against the tiled wall. "I don't love you. Can't you let that be enough?"

Apollo had opened his mouth to respond, when he felt his bracelet tighten around his wrist again. _Right._

Apollo lifted his bracelet to Klavier's face. "This! My bracelet... you're lying!"

Klavier froze, eyes widening like a deer in the headlights. "I…"

"You _do_ …" Klavier _never_ sputtered like this, he was most _definitely_ lying. Apollo laughed, cradling his bracelet and looking down at it as the feeling really hit him. It hadn't been a mistake or a malfunction, Klavier was lying, Klavier _loved him._

It felt _exhilarating,_ to even _consider_ that the pain of the last few days wasn't real. Klavier was lying; he _did_ feel the same way about Apollo. Apollo had been right, and even better, all of their time as a "couple" had been _real._ The dates, the kisses, the hugs, the words, all of it had been real. Someone _did_ love Apollo, and he was the man Apollo loved. Everything Apollo had been feeling felt legitimate now, everything felt better and brighter and happier. His unsure thoughts, his hesitation, all of it was wrong. Klavier _did_ love him, Klavier _did_ want him.

Apollo felt stronger now, as though Klavier's love was an armor he'd finally donned again. He hadn't realized how naked he'd feel without it, powerless and deprived. It was almost protecting him now, a silent reminder that no matter what, Klavier Gavin loved him. Freaking _Klavier Gavin,_ multibillionaire rock star sensation, loved _him,_ Apollo Justice. It was like nothing could go wrong.

Apollo looked up to Klavier, still grinning, and he realized with a pang that Klavier looked slightly panicked. Of course, there still _was_ the question… why had he lied to Apollo about this?

"Why didn't you tell me?" Apollo whispered, hurt, and Klavier winced. It looked like he'd been afraid of this, and Apollo was hitting it right on the head.

"Schatz, I-"

"Klavier, why?" Apollo asked again, and Klavier swallowed, throat bobbing.

"I… it's not you, it's me, Apollo." He nearly mumbled, and Apollo fought the urge to laugh. Really?

"Seriously, Klavier." Apollo gritted his teeth, walking closer to him. He wasn't in the mood for games, or classic breakup lines. If something was _really_ wrong here, he had to know.

Klavier looked up at him, the look in his eyes a mix between fear and anger. "It's the truth, schatz! I can't be with you. I am both a burden and a danger."

Apollo drew back slightly, thinking this over. What on Earth did he mean? He couldn't mean his relations to Daryan or Kristoph, they were both in jail. His depression hadn't done anything to hurt Apollo, if anything, Apollo helped there. What _was_ he talking about?

Klavier looked pained now. "I-I thought I could _change_ , I thought I wouldn't hurt you-"

"Klavier, what's wrong?" Apollo asked, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him gently. He needed to _know,_ he needed to _understand-_ what was keeping him from being with the man he loved, a man who loved him in return?

Klavier's shoulders dropped, and a sigh rocked his body. He closed his eyes, wincing.

"That night…" Klavier sighed, tilting his chin up and looking to the ceiling. "I wasn't completely honest with you about my mental state. The reason I have depression is because I have a disorder called DPD, schatz. I get dependent on people, I latch onto them and _need_ them."

Apollo could feel his brain whirring, trying to piece the information together. He stared down at the white bathroom tiles on the floor, still holding onto Klavier's shoulders. He could feel the numbness set in. "You were scared you'd depend on me."

"I already am," Klavier breathed. "I am, and that's why I can't continue like this. I can't place that kind of weight on your shoulders. I love you too much to ask you to take care of me like this, and I'm not _supposed_ to be this dependent and needy anymore."

Klavier... was over-dependent? Frick, it looked like he needed more help than Apollo had originally thought. It was okay, he'd gotten through a lot, and so had Klavier, come to think of it. They'd been through it all _together,_ and now Apollo could help Klavier again. They could do this, they could work through this!

"Klavier…" Apollo began, trying to think of what to say. He swallowed, thinking of how to best verbalize that feeling of supportiveness and protectiveness he felt around Klavier, especially now.

"Ugh, really?"

Apollo whipped his head around at the nasally voice, still clasping Klavier's shoulders and pinning him to the wall. It turned out that doing so was probably the wrong decision, judging by the look on Winston Payne's face.

"Save it for your own time, will you?" he scoffed, as Apollo stuttered, moving away from Klavier. "Keep your hands to yourselves."

Klavier used the distraction to brush past Apollo, muttering an apology to Payne as he passed him. Apollo moved to follow him, an odd squeak coming from somewhere in his throat, but the door slammed behind Klavier and he was gone.

Payne rolled his eyes. " _Rookies."_

* * *

 **I told my friend that I wrote a whole chapter in a bathroom. she promised to kill me. I said that winston payne shows up. in the bathroom. she promised me a slow, painful death**


	28. Chapter 28

**I titled this chapter "I fuck with everybody again because I'm like that" in the doc manager. That should tell you a lot.**

* * *

"… _leaving_?"

Klavier looked uneasy for the first time that day, fidgeting with the strap holding a guitar to his back. This was the second time in a week that he'd walked into the Wright Anything Agency and torn Apollo apart, and Apollo felt like banning him from the building at this point. Not that he _had_ to, if Klavier was… _leaving?_

"Ja. I figured I'd made enough of a mess of things here, so I'm going back to Germany." Klavier wouldn't meet Apollo's eyes, looking as though he'd like nothing better than to tug the shades resting on his head down and cover his eyes. They were still gorgeous, even when they were half-closed and downcast.

"You're leaving…" Apollo could only repeat it again, listening to the lack of _anything_ in his hollow voice. Each time he heard it the news felt like a shot of Novocain, coursing through his veins until he felt numb all over. Apollo couldn't help but feel betrayed that he hadn't heard anything about this, but he supposed it was something Klavier would keep a secret from the media. The press had ruined enough of Klavier's life lately as it was.

"Ja. I had to tell you this in person." Klavier looked vulnerable, blue eyes widened slightly and voice cracking. "Mein gott, I need to find the nerve to do this."

Apollo was about to ask _what,_ or maybe say _then don't, please stay,_ when Klavier leaned forwards and stopped any of that.

His lips pressed against Apollo's, and he kissed him gently. Apollo's eyes slid closed, like they always did, and he found himself immeasurably grateful that the Wrights were out.

Klavier had to lean down to reach Apollo in his chair, holding the back of his head firmly. His grip on Apollo's hair held Apollo in place, motionless, paralyzed by warm lips and minty breath. It felt so _good,_ and almost sweeter because Apollo suspected it was the last he'd ever get.

Klavier was as good as gone now, no matter how soft his lips were against Apollo's. This was the most genuine kiss Apollo had received from him, and yet it felt fake, only because it probably _shouldn't have happened._ They were broken up, Klavier was leaving, and here he was, with his gentle, warm kisses, drawing away for the last time.

" _Danke,_ Apollo. For it all."

Apollo could feel Klavier draw back for a shuddering breath, but he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. He didn't _want_ to see the inevitable, the Wright Anything Agency empty as though Klavier had never been there at all. He could barely process what was happening as it was, he wasn't sure if he could take the slap in the face of reality.

What was the point, anyways? He'd open his eyes; he'd see nothing and fall into pieces again. He'd _told_ himself to stop chasing after Klavier Gavin, that he didn't love him. The kiss just then was probably just pity, for a _something_ of a boyfriend Klavier might miss every now and then. Apollo knew better than to hope at this point.

Apollo opened his eyes slowly, and _surprise,_ he was alone. The door had already swung shut, now it was just a very bitter him and the blue badger plushie.

Wait.

The blue badger plushie?

Apollo felt like punching something or crying, and possibly both at the same time. Of course Klavier had left it with him, he probably didn't want to remember any of this. Their relationship probably embarrassed him even now, a hotshot rock star who'd gone out with a nobody lawyer who'd put everyone he loved in jail. It was all there: the stuffed animal, the flower crown it was wearing, and-

Apollo leaned in, frowning. Was that a notecard? It had something written on it, scrawled in Klavier's handwriting.

He picked it up, holding his breath as he read it.

 _Where's this love headed?_

Apollo could see the outline of writing on the back of the paper, and he flipped it over.

 _I'm sorry._

"Hey- W- _Klavier!"_ Apollo dropped the notecard and threw himself at the door, launching past the couch in a mad dash to the Agency's door. What was he thinking?! He couldn't let Klavier _leave._ Klavier might be an idiot, and an idiot with serious issues at that, but Apollo loved him, and he loved Apollo back. No matter what, they could make this work. They could get through this. That was what the fairytales and the romance movies said, right? True love wins out in the end?

Apollo knew he couldn't catch up with Klavier in time; Klavier's long legs made it all too easy to hastily walk towards the parking lot. Apollo could try, though, and he'd never forgive himself if he didn't.

Apollo burst out of the door, looking down the stretch of pavement leading to the parking lot. Klavier had had more than enough time to get on his motorcycle and leave, Apollo was _definitely_ too late.

Through some miracle, it turned out that Klavier was still in the parking lot, and Apollo nearly collapsed in relief. Klavier must have heard Apollo's choked stammering, or maybe he could just read minds, because he looked back. He faced Apollo; looking down at the stretch of pavement separating them, light wind tousling his hair.

Klavier pressed his lips together, and Apollo wanted to run forwards and kiss them again. He wanted to cradle Klavier's head, shushing any worry he'd ever have and holding him until he wasn't afraid of anything anymore. Apollo wanted to drag him back into the Agency, kissing him hard and telling him they'd do this together, and that Klavier would get better. They both would.

"Klavier," Apollo tried to say, though his voice went through several pitches before breaking. He swallowed, trying to get a better grasp.

"Ja?" Klavier looked as though he was trying to school his face, but he was doing an awful job. He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Apollo was going to say it.

He was going to say it for _both_ of them.

"Don't go."

Klavier took a sharp inhale of breath, and Apollo pushed on before he could argue. "We can do this together, Klavier, I'll listen to you! I want to help, I'll do anything if it makes you feel better."

"Schatz, that's the _problem._ " Klavier wrapped his arms around his torso, hugging himself. There was a light wind blowing his jacket and hair, and his arms tightened their grip. "I _crave_ being told what to do. Being controlled. I'm a willing puppet."

"Then I'll learn how to help you!" Apollo argued, stepping forwards and trying to close the distance between them. "I'll do anything it takes to be with you, and go even farther to make sure you're ok. I'll try until we succeed, because I fell in love with _you,_ Klavier, and I'd give up anything to help you."

"There is no _me,_ schatz!" Klavier snapped, arms falling to his side. "You don't _see…_ Of course you _can't,_ you're too good for me. I _am_ the mask, every part of me is groomed to suit Kristoph's needs. You can't fall in love with a tool, schatz, there is no Klavier Gavin."

"No." Apollo said, clenching his teeth together. "There is a Klavier."

Klavier looked ready to retort, but Apollo stepped forwards. "There is a Klavier _here,_ " he poked Klavier's chest, where he could faintly feel a heartbeat, "and _here._ " He rose onto his toes and tapped Klavier's forehead.

"And I'll be _damned_ if I let him get hurt like this anymore." Apollo nearly spat, leaning back onto his heels and crossing his arms. "I love him."

The second he drew back, Klavier shook with what looked like a sob, laughing and clumsily wiping away the tears. Apollo was alarmed for a moment, reaching forwards before he started talking.

"You know, schatz?" He asked, still laughing, and Apollo shook his head. "I don't think I've told you. You're the first time someone's said that to me… _'I love you'._ "

Somehow, Apollo didn't find that all that hard to believe, but it still made something in his gut burn. Klavier deserved so much _better_ than this.

Apollo took Klavier's hand from his face, covering it with his own. "Listen… I-I understand if you don't want me. I just want you to know… there's a difference between love and dependency. It's ok to love people, Klavier."

Klavier stared down at Apollo's hand, laughing in disbelief. There was a look of incredulous wonder on his face as he looked down at his hand, swamped in Apollo's two.

"That day?" Klavier asked, looking up into Apollo's eyes. His other hand reached up to squeeze Apollos' two. "I did lie, schatz."

Klavier was whispering now, still shaking with hysterics. "I love you, too."

Apollo wanted to do something other than laugh, gasping for breath, but he just couldn't believe it. It was over. It was all over. Klavier had admitted it, he _really did_ love Apollo. Klavier Gavin loved Apollo Justice, and Apollo loved him back. He'd gotten Klavier to accept it, convinced him that he _was_ worthy of love- as though it wasn't obvious to everyone but him.

For the first time in his life, Apollo could feel himself relax, with some underlying sense of security. He was part of a team now, a family- him and Klavier would work together, loving each other no matter what.

With that thought, Apollo couldn't stop himself from throwing his arms around Klavier, dragging him into another kiss. He could hear Klavier laughing, he was probably relieved too. They both were. No more pretending, no more excuses- they loved each other.

It wasn't their first kiss. Or their second. It wasn't even their first that _day._

To Klavier and Apollo, however, it still felt like a beginning.

* * *

 **Part of me wanted to end this chapter with Trucy and Phoenix driving back and beeping the horn, yelling HEY THE LOSERS GOT BACK TOGETHER. Somehow, I felt this would be inappropriate.**

 **So… yeah! That's basically go ask the wind. I hope you guys enjoyed it! stay tuned for…** ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ **~things~**


	29. Epilogue

**Well, here it is. We've done it boyzzzzzzzzzz**

 **this is the longest chapter by far. brace yourselves I had wayyyy too much fun with this**

* * *

Today had been a… ridiculous day, to say the least. Even by Wright Anything Agency standards.

If Mr. Wright was on-edge usually, that was nothing compared to what he was now. He was pacing back and forth, nearly in hysterics at the altar, sweating and tearing up and who knew what else. He was thankfully being rather quiet about it, but judging by the odd types of people showing up in the audience, they probably already knew he was going to lose it at some point. Apollo could hear Mr. Wright talking to himself softly, and was too polite to listen to anything other than a phrase he caught on accident.

 _"What if he leaves again?"_

Apollo wasn't really sure what it meant, and he didn't want to pry. "Hey," he interrupted, and Mr. Wright looked up at him with widened eyes. "Today's gonna be perfect. You said so yesterday, and you're always Wright."

The pun caused Apollo physical pain to say, but Mr. Wright laughed weakly. According to Trucy, last night he'd stayed up and talked to himself in the mirror until Trucy dragged him to sleep. _"If Apollo can get confidence by talking to himself in the mirror, so can I!"_ He'd reportedly said.

If it weren't his wedding day, Apollo would have fought him for belittling the Chords of Steel in such a way.

"He loves you," Apollo said, "I'm sure of that."

It _was_ true. Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth had something you didn't see very often, something that, according to them, had fought its way through continents of separation and years of confusion. They'd certainly known each other for a long time, and they had this perfect partnership where they could predict each other's every move, moving as one through everything. It was inspiring. There was a selfish part of Apollo that was jealous, and he found himself wishing that years later, him and Klavier would be the same way.

Apollo remembered Klavier at that point, and given him a small wave from his spot on the altar. His boyfriend gave a hearty wave back, seated in the first row in the sea of chairs, between a chirpy looking girl with short brown hair and glasses and Lamirior. That guest in particular had baffled Apollo and Trucy, but Mr. Wright had insisted and Mr. Edgeworth didn't seem to mind. Mr. Wright had developed a troubling habit of winking at Apollo and Trucy whenever she came up in conversation, and Apollo was quite honestly terrified of anything that might happen. Mr. Wright's plans were usually terrifying.

As for Klavier, well, he might not like wearing them in court, but he looked amazing in a suit. It also didn't hurt that he could afford very nice ones, fitting him in the best way possible. The black was a nice background to his tan skin, and he'd unbuttoned it enough to show off his collarbones in a move Apollo was sure would drive him nuts.

It was a little weird seeing everyone clean up, actually, with Mr. Wright in a suit that rivaled his days in court and Trucy in a sweeping blue dress. She was a flower girl; along with a girl in a pink dress Mr. Wright had called Pearls. Her hair honestly made Apollo hungry, it reminded him too much of a pretzel.

She and her cousin were actually staying with Mr. Wright, and Apollo had been there to pick them up. Her cousin was taller, with darker hair that hung in two bangs and a topknot. She'd taken one look at Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth and shouted, _"I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT ALL ALONG! NICK, YOU OWE ME FIVE BUCKS AND A BURGER!"_

Her name was Maya, if Apollo was remembering correctly, and she'd taken up Trucy's habit of calling him Polly- which he _needed_ to stop them from doing, by the way, because Klavier had also threatened to adopt it- and proclaimed at the sight of Apollo that _"Nick, I like this one. Good job."_

She was also a Gavinners fan, apparently, and generally a huge Klavier Gavin fan altogether, judging by how she'd shrieked when he came by to visit the Agency one day. Her excitement about his and Mr. Wrights' friendship was only topped by her excitement when she found out that Apollo and him were dating- because then she could ask for an autograph, right? That'd be ok, right Nick?

The ceremony had gone off without a hitch, thank goodness, because they'd taken an absurd amount of tries in the rehearsal to get it right. It was a little odd, though, the longer Apollo stood up there, the more abnormal he felt. Apollo actually felt weird up on the altar, standing next to Mr. Wright and Edgeworths' lifelong friends and family. He felt out of place, equally new and the only sane person there. When he told Mr. Wright to replace him, Mr. Wright had simply patted his back, telling him that he belonged more than he knew- in the creepy, cryptic way Mr. Wright usually talked to people.

Either way, it was all worth it to see Mr. Wright tearing up at the vows. Apollo wished he had a picture, because he was sure no one would believe him unless they saw it with their own eyes. He was pretty sure Mr. Edgeworth had cried too, and the large guy with the hair spiked on one side and tape on his face was bawling like the world was ending. And Trucy sniffled a little, which Apollo was holding over her head _forever._

Apollo had been kind of nervous for the reception, he didn't like parties very much and he wasn't much good at them. He did enjoy the speeches, though, mainly because Trucy had taken the microphone and told the story of the new couple's engagement- the punch line of which was Mr. Wright forgetting his painstakingly-written speech and simply quoting the Steel Samurai. The sobbing man from earlier- Detective Dick Gumshoe, it seemed- also tried to give a speech, but he was slightly incomprehensible, so people just ended up clapping when they assumed he was done.

Apollo was actually very hungry by the end of it; he'd missed most of the food when he'd realized that the guy laughing very hard at the Steel Samurai proposal story was _actually Will Powers. How did Mr. Wright even know him?! Why was he at Mr. Wright's wedding?_ Who knew, but why did it matter when Apollo could get his autograph? And a few pictures? And some behind the scenes knowledge? And skip dinner to talk with him for forever?

By the time Apollo was done harassing Will Powers, he'd looked around the room to see everybody mingling. He'd missed most of dinner, but he wasn't hungry enough to go get something. Maybe he'd steal something off of Klavier's plate later.

Trucy was seated at a table close to him, talking to a tall, thin woman in a short black dress that contrasted nicely with her silvery blue hair. The woman was downing a lot of what Apollo hoped wasn't alcohol. Trucy whispered to Apollo as he passed by, explaining that Mr. Edgeworth hadn't let her bring her whip past the door. Apollo felt slightly terrified, and prayed to whatever god that was listening that Trucy was talking about that ancient dance move from 2015.

Mr. Wright and Edgeworth- what name were they going by, anyways? Were they the Edgeworths or the Wrights or the Edgewrights or what?- were talking to Maya and Pearls, the former of which hanging onto Mr. Wright's arm laughing at some joke he'd just told. Mr. Wright exchanged a look with Mr. Edgeworth, before they began laughing themselves.

Apollo's first thought had been to go to Klavier, but he didn't really want to shove his way through the crowd around him. Klavier was a popular attraction, seated at a piano and playing his greatest hits, dedicating every song to "his gorgeous boyfriend, Apollo"- which was grating, by the way, especially since half of the songs he was playing weren't even love songs.

The big guy from earlier, Gumshoe, was still crying, except now the brunette girl with glasses was trying to cheer him up. Trucy had left for the bathroom, leaving the whip-less woman with a blonde woman with glasses who nearly resembled a female Kristoph to Apollo. Ema was seated next to a girl with tall hair held in place by what looked like a key, explaining something with such gusto it had to be scientific. The tall guy with orange hair was leaning in to a woman in red skin-tight motorcycle gear, complete with wheel earrings, who Apollo remembered vividly for arriving to the parking lot popping a wheelie like it was nothing. Klavier's eyes had lit up at the sight, and Apollo instantly said _no, absolutely not._ _ **You**_ _would fall off of your hog and break it._

Apollo didn't know what to do now. He looked back to Mr. Wright and Edgeworth and regretted it, as he apparently started hallucinating- or at least, he assumed so, because that was the only explanation that gelled with what he was seeing now. _Just how the hell had Maya grown a foot and changed her facial structure in one minute?_

Mr. Wright laughed at Apollo's expression, waving him over. Finally, something to do. "C'mon, Apollo, you need to meet the Chief."

Maya- was it even Maya? Apollo didn't know, Mr. Wright had never referred to her as the Chief before- well, whoever it was, she responded. "This is your subordinate?"

"Yup. He carried the Wright Anything Agency, for a while." Mr. Wright said proudly, clapping Apollo on the shoulder. Apollo held out his hand awkwardly. This weirdness was why he hated parties- although, people didn't _usually_ change shapes on him.

"Uh, hi. Apollo Justice." he said, and she seemed amused by his unsteadiness. She shook his hand nevertheless, smiling.

"I'm Mia Fey, Phoenix's former boss." She tilted her head, surveying his face. Apollo had never been too good at hiding shock, and to be honest, he was rather shocked right now. He was _pretty sure_ this was Maya, but he'd been through so many names and faces lately he wouldn't be surprised if he'd mixed up a few. He hoped he hadn't slipped and called her Maya.

Mia Fey could probably tell he was confused, because she explained. "Currently I'm in the body of my younger sister, Maya."

Oh, that made sense.

Wait, what?

Apollo must have been still making a face, because Mr. Wright continued. "She's the master of Kurain. You've heard of their channeling technique, right?"

So… he hadn't mixed up the names, Mia was just possessing Maya- he hoped that was the right way around, why did their names sound so similar?

Apollo felt himself nodding, but he could only squeak at Mia. "You're _dead?"_

Mia raised an eyebrow at Mr. Wright. "Bright, isn't he? Sensitive, too."

"Sorry," Apollo said quickly, though Mr. Wright was laughing.

"Go easy on him, Mia. He takes everything too seriously." Mr. Wright gave him a harmless shove, and Apollo rolled his eyes. Classic Mr. Wright.

Mia was smiling again now, and it reached her eyes. She looked really happy. "Well, I'm glad you're back, Phoenix. Congratulations to you two, by the way. Nice meeting you, Apollo." She winked at Apollo.

Mia looked back at Mr. Wright one more time before she began changing, looking undeniably content. "I'm proud of you, Phoenix."

Her voice became higher by the end, and before long she'd morphed back into Maya. She grinned, clapping her hands together. "She was really happy to see you, huh Nick?"

Mr. Wright was smiling as genuinely as Mia had been, and he nodded. Apollo was pretty sure there were tears in his eyes again. "Yes, she was. Could you possibly do another channeling, very quickly?"

Maya's face scrunched up. "I dunno, Nick, it depends."

"It's very important." Mr. Wright leaned down to whisper into Maya's ear, and her eyes grew wide.

"Oh yeah, of course! That's really sweet of you, Nick." Maya almost sounded surprised at how thoughtful Mr. Wright was apparently being, and Apollo snorted in agreement. Mr. Wright stuck out his tongue at him.

Maya changed again, and Apollo was sure in that moment that he'd never be used to it. Mr. Wright and Edgeworth didn't seem fazed, but it was so undeniably _weird_ to Apollo. Almost creepy, in a way.

Mr. Wright took Mr. Edgeworth's hands, nodding his head over at Maya and smiling kindly towards her once she'd stopped changing. "Hi, Gregory."

Mr. Edgeworth's face changed completely, eyes widening in shock as he looked over to Mr. Wright. "Phoenix-!"

Mr. Wright nodded, and Mr. Edgeworth looked like he was going to start crying any minute then. He threw himself at Mr. Wright, hugging him so tightly it looked as though Mr. Wright was suffocating. Mr. Wright was apparently fine, though, patting Mr. Edgeworth's back and smiling.

Mr. Edgeworth sniffled, as he pulled away from Phoenix, and Apollo began backing away slowly. He wasn't very adept at social cues, but he knew enough to be aware he was intruding on a very private moment. If he was correct, Mr. Wright had just channeled Mr. Edgeworth's dad for their wedding reception- and _wow,_ was that far more thoughtful than Apollo had thought Mr. Wright capable of.

Apollo took another look around the room. Of the people he knew, nothing had really changed- Klavier was playing _My Boyfriend is the Prosecution's Witness,_ Trucy was doing the macarena with Pearls, and how was Gumshoe not dehydrated, at this point?!

Apollo decided to go to the bathroom, and left the room to wander around the lobby for a bit. He found himself heading up the stairs, modern-looking ones that almost seemed unstable with how minimalistic they were. During the rehearsals he'd also taken a break, when the tall guy with orange hair had dropped Mr. Edgeworth's ring and everybody was looking for it for the 7th time. He'd gone upstairs, and found a balcony with a nice view where he could be alone. It wasn't like anyone would follow him there. Mr. Wright had specified that all necessary functions were to be contained to the first floor, though for what reasons Apollo couldn't really tell. He'd half-heard Trucy hissing something about elevators the first time it had been mentioned, but he didn't really know what they had to do with anything.

The view was even nicer at night, when the sun wasn't beating down and the moon had room to shine. It was untouchably peaceful, and silent except for the occasional sound of traffic.

"I hope today hasn't taken _too_ much out of you,"

Apollo turned, to see someone entering the balcony. Apparently, Klavier had gotten bored of playing the piano- that, or the tall guy with orange hair had begun asking him for romance advice again.

"I'm pretty resilient," Apollo reassured him, and Klavier laughed as he took a seat on the floor next to him. Klavier glanced over at the bouquet next to Apollo, and Apollo blushed.

"I'm keeping them," he said, fingering the string around them, "I kinda want to remember today."

It _had_ been a good day, after all. It certainly wasn't one Apollo was forgetting anytime soon, or probably ever. How many times did you get to see your annoying boss/sort-of-father-figure get married, anyways?

"Looks like _you're_ getting married soon," Klavier quipped, looking over at the flowers next to Apollo. Come to think of it, that was the tradition, wasn't it? Whoever caught the bride's bouquet was getting married next, right? Nevermind that the couple in question had thrown it together, and Apollo hadn't as much caught it as he had been smacked in the face as a victim of a very bad throw. But never mind that, in the face of tradition- and in the glorious face of Klavier Gavin, come to think of it.

"Wish you'd told me, schatz," Klavier knocked his shoulder into Apollo's, laughing, and Apollo made a face and rubbed it in mock pain. Although... he'd never really thought about marrying Klavier before. Which was odd, because it felt like it should have come up before.

They'd been accepted back as a couple with a raised eyebrow for most, which kind of did make sense: at this point, they were another celebrity couple who'd broken up and gotten together. The Wrights and Edgeworth were markedly happy to have them back together, and Ema made some begrudging remark about how Apollo would hopefully absorb Klavier's foppishness. Apollo had researched how to make their relationship the best for Klavier, and they'd been stable for far longer than anyone could have predicted. They didn't fight very often, and when they did, they apologized within minutes. Ema described it as disgusting idealistic behavior, but Apollo didn't think so. He didn't like being mad at Klavier.

Apollo had moved in with Klavier quite quickly, and if he was to be believed, there was a noticeable improvement with Klavier. He slept through the nights more often, and Apollo cracked down on his alcohol intake- which was kind of ridiculous for anyone, especially someone in his state. Needless to say, Apollo was helping- and Klavier was unspeakably grateful. So he didn't speak, and Apollo found he could be very convincing without saying a word- hint hint, nudge nudge, wink wink.

And yet... through their domestic life together, the little kisses by the door and the late night dinners and mornings where he woke up in Klavier's arms, Apollo had never really thought about marriage. It seemed obvious, now that he thought of it. He made a promise to himself to get on that, and _definitely_ ask Trucy for engagement ring advice. It seemed like she knew what she was doing.

"You're being quiet," Klavier noted, hand shifting to cover Apollo's. "Are you... would you consider it?"

Apollo looked up at him, nodding with a smile. Yes. He definitely would, and now he was certain he'd propose soon. The months together hadn't done anything to diminish his giddy love for Klavier, and Klavier was still very much in love with him, too. Getting married at this point only made sense.

Klavier matched his smile, though his was growing in that shiny way that meant he knew something Apollo didn't. Apollo couldn't think what that was, especially in this situation, unless he was- _oh damn, he was getting down on one knee._

"Well then, Apollo Justice," Klavier began, drawing a box out of his pocket- had he been carrying that around the whole time? For how long? "Will you marry me?"

He was actually doing it. This was actually happening. The wind was cold enough for Apollo not to need to pinch himself, and Klavier's smile was glittering like the stars around them. Apollo could see a flicker of worry in his eyes, and he realized he'd been gaping at Klavier for awhile.

"Y-yes! Absolutely! Yes, Klavier, yes!" Apollo couldn't stop himself from yelling, and he threw himself at Klavier to kiss him. Unfortunately, it turned out that balancing on one knee wasn't the most stable, and Klavier fell onto his back, with Apollo toppling on top of him.

Apollo kissed him hard before he could catch his breath, tangling his fingers through Klavier's hair. He only stopped when Klavier was laughing too hard to continue, and his chest was knocking into Apollo's. He started talking the moment Apollo pulled away.

"Aren't you supposed to put the ring on, first?" He laughed, and Apollo blushed. He'd really wanted to kiss Klavier in that moment.

"The ring isn't what I'm after here." Apollo said, sitting up a little. He started playing with Klavier's hair, framing his face with blonde curls.

Klavier leaned his cheek into Apollo's hand. "Ach, a good thing, too, because I've dropped it."

Apollo leaned in to kiss his nose, an act that would have made Ema hiss (he knew this from experience), and moved off of Klavier. A pity he'd dropped the ring, Apollo had been quite comfortable there, with his legs around Klavier's waist.

Klavier sat up. "Schieße, it's dark, it'll be hard to find now. Sorry, schatz."

"We'll find it." Apollo bent down, running his hands along the floor. "It couldn't have gone far... Got it!"

Apollo held up a small box in triumph, and Klavier made a motion for him to open it. Apollo sat back down next to Klavier, leaning into his boyfri- _fiancée's_ shoulder. It felt good, calling him that.

"Wow," Apollo breathed, when he saw the ring. He couldn't help himself. It was gorgeous, with a silvery-gold band and a few diamonds, small ones clustering around a gigantic one. "Klavier, you really didn't have to-"

Klavier smiled, leaning in and kissing his forehead. "I did, schatz. Put it on, I want to see it on you now."

Apollo took it out of the box carefully, they'd already lost it once and he was not losing it again. It also didn't help that the thing probably costed more than he'd ever made.

He was slipping it onto his finger, when he felt a groove rubbing against his hand. "Uh, Klavier, I think we scratched it. I'm so-"

Apollo paused, in the midst of turning the ring over to inspect the scratch. He could see it clearly enough in the light from the building behind them, and it turned out it wasn't scratched. It was engraved.

 _I love you._

Klavier was blushing faintly in the light, looking down. "Ach. I know it's cheesy and overdone, but I couldn't help myself."

Apollo loved it. He slipped the ring onto his finger, smiling at it before leaning over to kiss Klavier's cheek. "I love you, too."

Klavier slipped an arm around Apollo, and Apollo let his head fall to rest on Klavier's shoulder. He always felt so secure with Klavier holding him like this, like nothing could go wrong in the world.

Klavier started talking again. "Thank you, Apollo. Thank you for staying, and for making me stay."

"Thank you for letting me do all that," Apollo said quietly. He didn't deserve all of the credit here. "I know it's hard."

"It's easier, with you." Klavier said equally quietly, a message for Apollo's ears only. It wasn't exactly a secret, but Klavier needed Apollo to know.

They'd been away from the party for a suspiciously long time, but Apollo couldn't bring himself to care. It was warm in Klavier's embrace, with a hand on his waist and a shoulder under his cheek. Klavier's hair was brushing against his face, and it had the perfumey scent it always did when it had just been washed.

The stars were glittering around them, and Apollo had to hand it to Klavier. This was a perfectly romantic place for a proposal, intimate and personal and altogether wonderful. He supposed it was very Klavier of him. At first glance, one would assume a flashy, loud proposal- but really, Klavier was just a sentimental dork.

"Ready to go back?" Klavier asked, lips moving against Apollo's hair. Apollo wanted to shake his head, but they couldn't stay out here forever. Also, he was sure the others would give them no mercy if they didn't tell them about the engagement immediately.

"Sure," Apollo said, and he took the hand Klavier was offering to pull himself up. Klavier took his hand and helped him back to the building, going down the stairs hand in hand and holding the door to the room open, following Apollo back inside.

"Polly! Klavier!"

Trucy bounded towards them instantly, looking enthralled. "Where were you two? You were gone for _ages._ "

Apollo sputtered a little, mumbling and stumbling and altogether unable to say anything other than strangled sounds. He could feel himself getting red in the face, and Klavier simply held his hand up to show Trucy the ring.

Trucy's jaw dropped, and her eyes lit up. " _Oh my-_ you two are actually-?"

Apollo nodded, still blushing, and Trucy squealed and grabbed the two of them in a gigantic hug, hopping up and down. " _Polly and Klavier are getting married! Polly and Klavier are getting married!"_

Any other day Apollo would have been miffed, but to be honest, he was internally jumping up and down screaming _Klavier and I are getting married! Klavier and I are getting married!_

It still felt too good to be true. He, Apollo Justice, was getting married to _the_ Klavier Gavin. Those months, their love… it was all going to be forever, now. Or however long celebrity marriages usually lasted.

"Daddy!" Trucy yelled, waving Mr. Wright over. "You've gotta come see this!"

Mr. Wright came over surprisingly quickly, for the groom, and his facial reaction was surprisingly similar to Trucy's. _"Whoa._ You two are-?" He pointed to Klavier, and then to Apollo. Klavier nodded, and Mr. Wright high fived him.

"Congratulations, you two! Also, Gavin, this is unacceptable," he said, inspecting Apollo's ring, "you're completely showing me up. Not all of us are rock stars, you know."

Klavier shrugged, smirking. "Ach, but _I_ am, Herr Wright."

Mr. Wright tilted his head, thinking it over. "All right, fair enough."

Klavier opened his mouth to say something, but Trucy's hand closed around his wrist and she began dragging him off. "C'mon, Klavier, we've gotta dance now!"

Klavier laughed. "Achtung, fräulien, I'm coming, I'm coming!"

He waved helplessly to Apollo, who snickered and waved back. Trucy could be quite the destructive force of nature when she wanted to be.

"Oh, Apollo." Mr. Wright said as though he'd just remembered something, pointing at his ring again. "Don't let Ron see it. I've had to beat him back from Edgeworth's with a stick."

"Ron? As in, Delite? As in, Mask Demasque?" Apollo could hear his jaw hit the floor. How the hell did Mr. Wright even know all these people? He really got around, didn't he?

"Yep. Kay Faraday is here too, but unless your engagement ring helps uncover some scandal, you're probably safe from her," Mr. Wright chuckled, patting Apollo on the back and leaving. Apollo could see Mr. Edgeworth waving from across the room, pointing to a gigantic mass on the dance floor and yelling " _You have to see this, Wright!"_

Apollo hadn't been left along for more than a minute before he felt someone tapping on his shoulder, and he whipped around to see who it was.

"Polly, will you dance with me?" Trucy asked. Wait, wasn't she dancing with Klavier? How had things changed so quickly? Apollo had only looked away for a second!

Trucy noticed Apollo's look, and explained, gesturing over to the other side of the room, the part Mr. Edgeworth had been pointing at. "Klavier's gone over to the dark side."

Klavier had gone to what was apparently a gigantic conga line, headed by Maya Fey, who was newly back in control of her body. Mr. Wright and Edgeworth were taking pictures of it now and giggling uncontrollably, zooming in on the powder-blue haired whip-less woman who apparently had been talked out of drowning her sorrows- that, or the more likely option, drowning her sorrows had lead to this.

Apollo snickered at the sight, and Klavier waved to him from somewhere in the middle of it. Yeah right, he wasn't doing the conga line. "Sure, Trucy."

Apollo had been taught to dance by Klavier on a rainy day a while ago, when Klavier was making fun of his dancing skills at the party that had landed them in this mess. It turned out that Apollo actually wasn't half bad, but he didn't feel like putting in the effort necessary to learn- unless he could just sway in circles in their living room, with Klavier's hands on his waist. That, he had to admit, was very nice.

Trucy took one of Apollo's hands, and his other clasped her shoulder. They rocked back and forth, as comfortably as two people in their situation could.

"How are you?" Apollo asked, and Trucy beamed.

"This is so great, Polly! Both of my dads are super happy now, and now you and Klavier are too." Trucy chirped, as they rotated slowly.

Apollo found himself smiling, he couldn't help it. Trucy's view of the world might be a little simplistic, but it was sweet enough to make up for it. She was right, though, because Mr. Wright and Edgeworth couldn't stop beaming at the mere sight of each other. He was pretty sure Mr. Wright was the happiest he'd ever been in his entire life.

Apollo and Trucy made their way around the floor, past the abandoned tables and Gumshoe, arriving back at Mr. Wright and Edgeworth before long. Mr. Wright was still giggling.

"She's _really_ drunk, isn't she?" Mr. Wright was holding up his cell phone, taking a video of the conga line. "I think she's legitimately enjoying herself- yep, she's had a _lot_ of alcohol."

Mr. Edgeworth was laughing too, but he made an attempt to stop- or at least slow down- Mr. Wright. "Goodness gracious, Wright, she'll kill you for this later- and I am _not_ going to testify for you."

"Blackmail, Miles, blackmail! That's why I'm taking this! If she's my sister-in-law, I'm gonna need _some_ way to dodge that whip." Mr. Wright reasoned, zooming in on his camera. Apollo drove Trucy and him away, this sounded like the _last_ thing he ever wanted to be involved in.

"Hey Polly?" Trucy began talking again.

"Yeah?"

"You and Klaviers' house… it's big, right?" Trucy asked, and Apollo nodded.

"Huge."

"Ok, good. Daddy said I was staying with you two if Auntie Franziska was being… problematic, I think was the word he used." Trucy informed him. Well, that was quite something to spring on Apollo on the last second.

"What? We weren't your first choice?" Apollo teased, stepping lightly on her toes.

"Ow, Polly! And it wasn't _my_ choice; Daddy said he wanted Auntie Franziska to like me so she'd like him! Him and Dad keep on talking about a whip… you don't think they're talking about a _whip_ whip, do you?"

Apollo looked over at Franziska, who had just noticed Mr. Wright videotaping her. Her face became scary as she walked over to them, and Mr. Wright immediately hid behind Mr. Edgeworth. Yeah, in Apollo's book, any woman who could be _that_ intoxicated and walk _that_ steadily on _those_ heels was a woman to be feared and avoided.

"Well, I doubt they're talking about Cool Whip," Apollo quipped, still looking over at Franziska. She was _really_ angry.

"Fräulein!" There was Klavier, walking towards them and leaning in with his hands on his hips. Were his teeth always this shiny? "Would you mind returning my fiancée to me, bitte?"

"Sure thing!" Trucy said, and Pearls' hands flew to her face in the background. She must have overheard them saying the word _fiancée_ , according to Trucy; she was something of a hopeless romantic.

Klavier took Apollo's hand from Trucy and used his other to grab Apollo's waist, drawing him close seamlessly.

Apollo wasn't nearly as graceful as Klavier. Apollo stumbled into him, landing with his face planted into Klavier's chest.

"Could you stop doing that?!" Apollo groaned, face pressed into Klavier's chest. His dress shirt was frustratingly thin, and Apollo could feel the warmth of his skin underneath.

"Nein." This position must have been Klavier's goal all along, because he dropped his other hand to Apollo's back and swayed, gently. It was hard to deny him when he was content like this, so Apollo let it slide. Klavier was humming, following the tune of the music perfectly, and Apollo didn't even need to look up to know his eyes were closed. Klavier seemed perfectly happy now, holding his fiancée and rocking back and forth to the music.

Apollo wouldn't ruin it for the world.

Apollo found his eyes sliding shut too, and he thought to himself that he could probably fall asleep right here. This was how he usually fell asleep, head on Klavier's chest and trying to match his slowing breaths. Klavier was usually out like a light- this was new, according to him, and he decided it was due to Apollo- but Apollo usually lay awake for awhile, smiling into Klavier's chest. He couldn't believe it, sometimes- and especially now. He was sharing a bed and a house with Klavier, and now a name too. It felt right, like the final step to becoming their own family.

"Love you, Klavier," Apollo mumbled, nuzzling his head into Klavier's chest.

"Ich liebe dich, schatz." Klavier whispered back, and Apollo snorted. Leave it to Klavier to say it all in German- not that it was any less cheesy, that way.

Apollo would have been content to stay there all night, but he could hear Mr. Wright yelling something in the distance.

"Hey, Apollo! Trucy! And uh, I guess Klavier; you should probably come too, now that I think about it. Kids! Get over here!"

"Can he not call us 'kids'?" Apollo grumbled, moving off of Klavier begrudgingly. Klavier laughed.

"Come on, schatz, let's see what he wants," Klavier said, good-natured as ever. He offered a hand to Apollo, which Apollo took without a moment's hesitation. At least he'd face Mr. Wright's insanity with Klavier now.

Mr. Wright was standing near the table, with Mr. Edgeworth and… was that Lamirior? Were they going to find out why he'd invited her now? Apollo _really_ hoped it wasn't anything insane, though knowing Mr. Wright, they were probably going to find out she was secretly a dinosaur or something.

Trucy skipped over, and Mr. Wright beckoned the three of them closer. He looked more unsure than Apollo had ever seen him before, and that made something in Apollo's stomach turn. What exactly was going on here?

"First off, I'm sorry for not telling you kids this sooner. Miles thought it was high time to do this, though, and when we contacted Thalassa, she agreed. So, uh," Mr. Wright rubbed the back of his neck, nervously, and Apollo could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Just what the hell was he planning here? "I don't quite know how to break it to you two. I guess I'll just go for it. Apollo, Trucy, meet your mother, Thalassa Gramarye."

 _What?!_

Apollo dropped Klavier's hand. He… Apollo was an orphan, right? He didn't _have_ a mother, his parents were dead- or at least, that's what he'd assumed all his life. He didn't know if it was better or worse that she was alive, only that he was confused out of his mind. He hoped Mr. Wright was playing a joke on him. This all _was_ a joke, right?!

And Trucy… She was Trucy's mother, too? So that meant… Trucy was his _sister-_ or half-sister, Mr. Wright hadn't said anything about fathers- but either way… Apollo looked over at Trucy, with what was probably a ridiculous look on his face. His _sister…_ he was looking at his _sister._

Naturally, Trucy took it all in stride, running forwards to hug Thalassa with a strangled, disbelieving cry of " _Mom?!"_ The resemblance was striking, when they hugged, placed right next to one another. Their hair was the same shade, a nice brown, and their faces were shaped similarly. They really looked like a family together.

Apollo hung back, staring and trying to take it all in. His mouth felt like a desert. The dryness was worse than any of the times around Klavier, worse than any time he'd tried to argue against Kristoph, worse than Apollo had ever had it before. It was as though his entire body had the water sucked out of it, like he hadn't even _seen_ water in weeks. Trucy and Lamirior… _Thalassa…_ they were his _family_? He _had_ a family?

Trucy had always felt like his little sister, and Mr. Wright the odd, semi-estranged father, but he'd never thought that he might _actually_ be related to them- however tangentially he had turned out to be related to Mr. Wright.

So _that_ was why Lamirior was invited. _That_ was why Apollo was standing at the altar and sitting at the front table of the reception. It all made sense now.

Mr. Wright had stepped forwards, ruffling Trucy's hair affectionately. Apollo was sure he could see tear tracks on Thalassa's face, as she held Trucy to her chest. Mr. Edgeworth's arm snaked around Mr. Wright, as he looked down at Trucy with a similar look on his face. They looked complete, all together as though time was standing still.

It felt odd. Apollo couldn't shake the feeling that he was supposed to be there too, but they looked perfect now. It felt too hard to move, it felt _wrong_ to add himself into the picture as though he belonged. He never had, not really. Apollo's family had been no one for years, alone as an orphan until he'd managed to work his way out, and found what he thought was _perfect_ \- a job at the Gavin Law Offices, working with a man he trusted. Kristoph.

It wasn't easy to rebound from that betrayal. It hadn't been easy to admit that his only family was a sixteen-year-old magician and a hobo- and maybe an attractive German man named Piano. It hadn't been easy to accept that his only family, the only person to ever take him in when he was an orphan, when he was _nothing-_ was a murderous, manipulative liar.

So looking at his mother and his sister hugging his adoptive fathers was a situation Apollo never _imagined_ he'd be in, especially in the two months following Kristoph's incarceration. Apollo didn't feel like a part of anything, much less a part of a family. It went against everything Apollo had ever taught himself about the world that didn't seem to want him- a world that left him to figure things out for himself.

Thalasssa seemed to have realized that something was wrong, because she lifted her head from Trucy. She looked over at Apollo with eyes he'd only seen before in a mirror, staring back at him. His heart thumped painfully in his chest, and he opened his mouth to say something. No. He didn't belong.

Apollo suddenly felt something arm on his back, and he couldn't stop himself from making a weird noise and jumping.

Apollo jerked in place and looked around, only to see Klavier behind him, smiling warmly. Oh yeah, Klavier was here. Apollo had nearly forgotten.

His hand rested on Apollo's shoulder blade, and he had that _smile_ that Apollo was going to wake up to every single day, that smile he was marrying him for. Klavier gently nudged him forwards, and Apollo noticed that Thalassa was extending an arm.

They wanted him to join.

Apollo looked back, and Klavier's eyes narrowed as though he wanted to say that he'd _drag Apollo over there himself if he had to._ Apollo reached for the hand on his back, and Klavier obligingly threaded his fingers through Apollos'. His smile was back, but smaller, more moral support than anything else now.

Judging by the look on his face, he wasn't expecting it when Apollo dragged him forwards. Apollo slung one arm around Thalassa, his _mother_ , and the other around Klavier, his _fiancée_. The new titles felt odd to Apollo, but strangely _right._ You know, maybe he could be a part of this.

"Say cheese!" Maya Fey was suddenly standing over them, with a _really_ expensive camera that most likely didn't belong to her, judging by the southern woman with a large afro who was grinding her teeth behind her.

It was easy to smile now. It looked easier for Klavier, too.

Apollo didn't really consider himself the sentimental sort, but the photo stayed on his and Klaviers' nightstand for the rest of their lives.

* * *

 **Whelp, there's the wedding. Written by someone with all of the inside knowledge of… having been to one wedding when she was 8. Yay?**

 **I sincerely hope you enjoyed all of whatever this was, and thanks for making it all the way to the end ayyyy**

 **So... now comes the question of what comes next. If anyone has any ideas about what they want to see (and yes, for anyone who's wondering, I have thought about a sequel before) then don't hesitate to tell me! At this point, I will probably start posting the oneshots I was writing in the breaks between chapters.**

 **zvarri achtung baby objection you fool the autopsy is updated I'm fine!**


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